Adult Zebra Finch (IMAGE) Penn State Caption New research that reveals the activity of nerve cells in a songbird's brain as the bird sings a specific song is helping scientists to understand how birds string together sets of syllables -- and it also may provide insight into how the human brain learns language and produces speech. "Unlike dogs and cats, whose vocalizations are innate and unlearned, songbirds learn a song in much the same way as humans learn a language, explains Dezhe Jin at Penn State University. This photo shows an adult zebra finch, which Jin and other members of the research team studied. Credit Alfonso Jr. Usage Restrictions The credit information must be published along with the image. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.