Something’s off.A report describes a preprint in which researchers analyzed call sequences from common marmosets, olive colobus monkeys, and bonobos. Their models suggested that calls from all three species may include patterns consistent with supra-regular recursive grammar—nested structure long treated as a distinguishing feature of human language.
The unusual part is that the researchers do not know what the calls mean. They inferred possible structure by comparing mathematical models that treat sequences as either linear or hierarchically nested. The reported result is probabilistic, based on small datasets, and the authors say further research is needed to distinguish communication grammar from other formal patterns, such as those found in music or animal song.
UNVERIFIED
Feed metadata identifies a report, not independently verified underlying facts.
This is an unverified report about a preprint; its underlying findings have not been independently verified here.
