However, research published in Science has uncovered the same statistical structure that is a hallmark of human language in humpback whale song. Humpback whale song is a striking example of a ...

Humpback whale song is a striking example of a complex, culturally transmitted behavior, but up to now, there was little evidence it has language-like structure. Human language, which is also ...

Human languages display a pattern known as Zipf’s law. Now, researchers have found the same pattern in whale song. In all known human languages there is a surprising pattern: the most frequent word in ...

Humpback whale songs have statistical patterns in their structure that are remarkably similar to those seen in human language. While this doesn’t mean the songs convey complex meanings like our ...

When the researchers segmented whale songs based on these “transitional probabilities”—just as a human infant would—they fit Zipf’s law of frequency like a glove. On the other hand ...

Because a word that long is not what human language favours. According to experts, we tend toward efficiency and brevity — with statistical laws that persist across cultures. Perhaps now, even across ...

The animals’ complex songs share structural patterns with human language that may make them easier for whales to learn, a new study suggests. By Emily Anthes The English language is full of wond ...

Research has revealed a previously undetected ‘language-like structure’ in whale song that was thought to be unique to human language. Whale song is more similar to human language than ...

Despite humans and whales being separated by millions of years of evolution, our vocalizations follow the same principle outlined in Zipf’s law Margherita Bassi Daily Correspondent All human ...

We discovered that the same Zipfian pattern universally found across human languages also occurs in whale song. This complex signalling system, like human language, is culturally learned by each ...

Researchers say they've discovered that humpback whale song is passed down over the years and changes — something it has in common with human language. (Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images ...