But the state of knowledge is inching forward. For example, a mutation heralded as the “language gene”—FOXP2—seems to be more about pattern complexity and learning than language per se (Schreiweis et al., 2014). You can dump its analogue into a mouse, and he’ll make more complex, chirpy sounds—but more interestingly, in his juvenile period and throughout his life in the lab, he’ll also learn faster. Mice with this mutation are better at switching from step-by-step to repetitive learning (ibid.). For example, maybe when they go into mazes, turning right takes them to where the food is.
