Evolutionary Depth of Human Brain Language Areas: Roles of Common Ancestors and Major Adaptive Shifts

Summary: Professor Patrick Gannon, Chair of Basic Science Education at Hofstra University School of Medicine, helps us understand the adaptive shift to language by looking at the brain. While he delivers the 79th James Arthur lecture on the Evolution of the Human Brain, Dr. Gannon discusses the evolution of human brain language areas, from their origins over 30 million years ago to their development in our common ancestors. Recorded on March 23, 2009.