What
is FOXP2? Coach K uses it every time he points out an officiating error. Chris Duhon relies on it when he’s setting
up the offense. Opposing teams wish the Cameron Crazies didn’t have it. Suffice
to say, the entire Duke basketball experience wouldn’t exist without it, which is an impressive statement when you consider
that it is too small to be seen by the naked eye. But what is it? FOXP2 is a tiny portion of our genetic code that scientists
have recently linked to our ability to speak. We all have it, we all use it, and we’d all be mute without it. Duke’s
vocal offense, which relies on players constantly talking to each other, would fall apart without FOXP2.
When
J.J. Redick yells for the ball before sinking an easy three, he’s using a plethora of his brain’s resources. As
Enard et al. (2002) He requires pinpoint control of his larynx and mouth of an order unparalleled by any other species (p.1). According to researchers working at Oxford University and the Max Planck Institute
in A Forkhead-Dominated Gene is Mutated in a Severe Speech and Language Disorder
published electronically in Nature, J.J. owes his vocal acuity to FOXP2, which
has a direct impact on the human ability to speak. Without it, J.J. would not
have enough control over his facial movements to call for the ball. This disastrous lack of control might drop him to the
level of the average Maryland player.
Scientists
discovered FOXP2 by analyzing a family which had a history of developmental verbal dyspraxia, a disease which causes great
difficulty in mentally processing language and physically speaking (Enard et al, 2002, p.1). A person with this disorder would
have difficulty splitting up the phrase, “Go to hell Carolina, go to hell” into its component sounds, understanding
what it means, and would lack the ability to make the proper facial movements to say this lauded catchphrase. To link the
FOXP2 gene to speech impediments, researchers built a scientific family tree, called a pedigree, from information provided
from the family members. They also took DNA samples to look for differences between family members who had the disease and
those who didn’t. The scientists then took DNA from an individual who was not related to the family but had the disease
and compared it to the results from the family (Enard et al, 2002, p.1).
The result of this investigation was the sequencing
of FOXP2, a region of DNA presumed to be linked to human speech. The results presented by Lai, Fisher, Hurst, Vargha-Khadem,
and Monaco (2001) show that all the members of the family in this study who exhibited the disease showed deviations from this
sequence, while all the healthy members had the intact FOXP2 sequence (p.522). Even though this suggests a correlation between
FOXP2 and speech, the researchers have not yet found a mechanism to explain how this relationship works. Until such a mechanism
is found, it can not be stated definitely that FOXP2 controls human speech. However, based on these preliminary results, Chris
and J.J. both have an intact FOXP2 sequence; otherwise, they would not be able to run the offense.
While
not conclusive, this initial investigation into the role of FOXP2 and language is an important new step in fully understanding
the interplay between human DNA and language. This knowledge will allow doctors to identify and, hopefully, one day to treat
this genetic disorders. Who knows how many children born today with an error in their FOXP2 gene might one day be cured because
of research like these studies? Each one is another voice that would otherwise never be heard in the stands of Cameron or
perhaps even on Coach K court. Coach K often refers to the Cameron Crazies as the “sixth man” on the basketball
team because of their contributions to the team; one day it may turn out that a group of biologists in a lab, both male and
female, will earn the term “seventh man.”
References
Enard, W., Przeworski, M., Fisher,
S., Lai, C., Wiebe, V., Kitano, T., Monaco, A., &
Pääbo, S. (2002).
Molecular Evolution of FOXP2, a Gene Involved in Speech and Language [Electronic Version]. Nature, Advance Online Publication, 1-4.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature01025
Lai, C., Fisher, S., Hurst, J.,
Vargha-Khadem, F., & Monaco, A. (2001). A Forkhead-
Dominated Gene is Mutated
in a Severe Speech and Language Disorder [Electronic Version]. Nature, 413, 519-523.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35097076
Pearson, H. (2002). Gene Leaves
Apes Speechless. [Electronic Version] Nature Science
Update. Retrieved January 24, 2003, from
http://www.nature.com/nsu/020812/020812-6.html
