progress

Eureka!
Finally genetic scientists "knock the bast*rd off" (to quote Sir Ed) by sequencing the last & biggest chromosome in the Human Genome. Truly a gargantuan scientific success story! Chromosone 1, aka "the book of life," is associated with over 350 diseases,

"including cancer development, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, high cholesterol, mental retardation &.. porphyria.
"They have completed the sequence to within 99.99% for each chromosome, identifying potential genes & diseases.. & offering an analysis of their evolutionary past..

16 years of hard slogger from geneticists all over the world comes to a fruitful close.

"The completion of the [Human Genome] project.. is a monumental achievement that will benefit the research community for years to come."

Amen! I think if they (scientists) are ever gonna find the 'key to life' & 'secret to unlock everything' it's gonna be in genetic research. DNA is God's fingerprints on the blueprint of creation.

Simian syntax
Scientists observe what appears to be genuine primate language in a Nigerian national park. Putty-nose monkeys form 'sentences' using distinct and (seemingly) predetermined sequences of two different calls. Each different combination of calls carries its own unique meaning.

"the monkeys appear to be assembling a finite number of sounds to create new and different meaningful combinations"

Just like human language, the order (syntax) of the sounds (words) changes the meaning of each sequence (sentence). A huge breakthrough in animal psychology, linguistics & neuroscience if proved correct.

Plus
Bottlenose dolphins can recognise each other by name. Each name has a distinct 'whistle'. Two dolphins may refer to a 3rd dolphin by using their unique names (an example of dolphin 'gossip'). This, imo, is more evidence of 'animal vocabulary.'

1 specific noise = 1 specific word = 1 specific meaning

Can animals 'talk' to each other? Methinks yes. If animals can recognise distinct sounds (words) as having specific meanings, in the same manner as humans do speech, then it could be said they have a 'vocabulary' and thus a 'language.'