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Comment by qikInNdOutReply | Hacker News Reader

Human exceptionalism has poisoned so many studies.

My pet-theory why primates do not vocalize is that the neural difference is not even that cemented, it has to be some difference at the language acquiring stage as babys and children, were one human pattern matching center for sound fires constantly, acquiring the language "keys" and theirs dont.

And it all cascades from there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_deprivation

It would be really fascinating, to help them acquiring language and uplift them. Maybe its even mammal universal applyable.

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20th century hubris poisoned so many studies I would rather say.

I have this example but there are literally hundreds:

You know about the 5 μm particle size limit for it to become airborne? Washing hands for protecting against aerosols? It’s parroted bad research; and wrong.

The main infection path of upper respiratory diseases is through aerosols. The medical literature says it’s through hands that are touching the mouth and the nose but this is wrong. It was shown in the 1940s that viruses can spread through aerosols and that aerosols are particles under 100 μm. Research was done on tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that must infect the deep inside parts of the lung. For that it needs an aerosol size of 5 μm. Other diseases can do with aerosols of 5-100 μm.

Now, a meme was born that only 5 μm particles can get airborne.

And this was just accepted by the Western medical canon and the WHO.

Note that people have tried raising baby monkeys with human babies. The monkeys still can't speak.

> Human exceptionalism has poisoned so many studies.

…then goes on to describe a human exception.

I like that theory but the question still stands that why can parrots do it? And they're no monkey

Why can't English speakers pronounce R?

I don't see how this is relevant or even correct. English speakers certainly can pronounce R.

One sort of R, sure. But native English speakers often have trouble with the "voiced alveolar trill" R which is present in many other European languages, unless they speak one of the less common English dialects where it is used.

“have trouble with” is a far cry from “can't”.

When I was younger my tongue was physically unable to produce R because it wasn't able to reach back far enough.

Monkeys have a much easier time learning sign language than spoken, so there's probably something about vocal chords too. I suspect it's because humans and parrots independently developed music as a bonding mechanism and apes did not.

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