A specific gene variant seen in people is likely one of many that contributed to the development of language in modern humans, scientists say. And it changes how mice squeak.

A new study has revealed that a single genetic mutation, found in all modern humans but absent in Neanderthals and Denisovans, could have played a role in the evolution of speech and language. The research,

In a lab at Rockefeller University in New York, a mouse squeaks. But this is no ordinary squeak. It is a strange, complex sound, unlike anything heard from a mouse before. The difference lies in a single gene — a gene that may hold the key to one of humanity’s most defining traits: the ability to speak.