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Babbling about baby babble A newborn human can learn many languages at once, and without any coaching or teaching. We ask the babies how.

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The spacecraft crashed, just like we planned Join us as we hang out with NASA while they deliberately crash into an asteroid. Check out take 107 of Episode One. Beer in space!

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To tell a secret, and keep it too Part of communicating is trying to tell someone something without the wrong someone hearing it. We take a look at the history and practice of secret messages. And here’s our latest attempt at Episode One. Take 106 of Episode One: Don’t know where to begin

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By flame, drum and song How did people communicate over distance in the ancient world? We answer this question by examining signal fires, talking drums, and languages composed entirely of whistling.

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Ancient mail, and the oldest known library Once again, the title says it all. We look at mail in the ancient world, and take a look at the oldest known library.

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Numbers and letters We pick it up from last time and finish the story of our alphabet, along with a look at where our numbers came from. Check out our latest attempt at Phil’s show. Part 2 of take 102 of Episode One

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How we learned to write right This time we start from the very beginnings of writing, and move on to just before the invention of alphabets. Here’s part one of our latest attempted at Episode One. Positive thoughts, and shaven porcupines

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Who said what when, and how? The evidence is patchy and your hosts are daffy, but we try to figure out when language began.

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Monkey talk! We look at how nonhuman primates use language, compare it to human language use, and guess how one turned into the other.

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Animals, lies and language An honest signal is useful for the one sending and receiving it. But, dishonest signals tend to destabilize the ability to communicate. How did human language develop when words make it so easy to fib?