The FOXP2 Gene and The Emergence of Mammalian Vocalization

The FOXP2 gene resides on human chromosome 7 (7q31) and belongs to the "forkhead" family of winged-helix transcription factors and is believed to play an important part in the development of speech in human language.

The FOXP2 transcription factor product appears to control a gene cascade associated with the vocalization capacity of mammals (Shu et al. 2005).