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Language is possibly the most important and incredible ability that sets humans apart from other species. Whether spoken, written, or signed, language exists in thousands of varieties among modern human cultures, and there are some very language-like communication systems in other animals, too. This episode, we discuss what defines language, what makes it so special, and what we understand about its history and origins among our ancestors.\nIn the news: orangutan medicine, frog skin, giant sharks, and dinosaur eggs.\nTime markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:05:15Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:35Main discussion, Part 2: 01:14:25Patron question: 01:58:00\nFind Dr. Alex at https://www.bridgetalex.com/\xa0 or @bannelia\nCheck out our website for this episode\u2019s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/\nJoin us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast\nGot a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/\nLots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent\nThe Intro and Outro music is \u201cOn the Origin of Species\u201d by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org\nMusical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0