In this episode, I talk with Nina Kazanina and Alexis Hervais-Adelman, both at the University of Geneva, about the science behind the upcoming SNL 2026 meeting in Geneva, and the evolutionary and cross-species perspective that the NCCR Evolving Language consortium brings to it. We discuss Nina’s argument that the neural ingredients for a “language of thought” are already available in the spatial navigation system of the rodent brain, and Alexis’s proposal that vocal communication came to dominate human language because of how early the fetus hears and learns in the womb.

Kazanina N, Poeppel D. The neural ingredients for a language of thought are available. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27: 996-1007. [doi]

Kazanina lab (NeuroLingo Lab)

Hervais-Adelman A, Townsend SW. How did vocal communication come to dominate human language? A view from the womb. PLoS Biol 2025; 23: e3003141. [doi]

Hervais-Adelman lab (Dynamics of Brain and Language Lab)

NCCR Evolving Language

SNL 2026

In this episode, I talk with Michael Alley, Engineering Communications Teaching Professor in the Penn State College of Engineering about his radical approach to better scientific presentations.

Alley M. The craft of scientific presentations: Critical steps to succeed and critical errors to avoid. Springer, 2013. [doi]

Garner JK, Alley M. How the design of presentation slides affects audience comprehension: A case for the assertion-evidence approach. Int J Eng Educ 2013; 26: 1564-79. [pdf]

Wilson SM. Neural correlates of recovery from aphasia after stroke. C-STAR Lecture Series. Columbia, SC. Sep 9, 2022. [video]

Hayashi C. The magnificence of spider silk. TED Talks. Sep, 2011. [video]

Alley website

In this episode, I talk with Valentina Borghesani and Ryan Law from the SNL Program Committee about their exciting plans for the 2026 conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

SNL 2026