£1.5m study of language

THE way bats communicate is to form part of a £1.5 million seven-year study to shed light on the evolution of human language.

The research, starting at St Andrews University in November, will examine the vocalisations of bats and compare them with other mammals, such as seals and dolphins.

Dr Sonja Vernes, who is leading t he research study, said: “Our ability to communicate via spoken language requires a complex skill set built upon cognitive and physiological processes.

“Bats present a unique opportunity to shed light on these issues because they are an extraordinary group of animals with intricate social structures and communication abilities.

“They feature speech and language relevant traits such as vocal learning – the ability to learn new vocalisations, a crucial component of how we learn to speak.”

“However, this potential has rarely been exploited.”

A CARNOUSTIE mum is taking on a gruelling 1, 0 0 0 - m i l e running challenge for the second time in a bid to raise funds for two causes close to her heart.

Tina Robertson has run 365.5 miles since January and hopes to reach her target of 1,000 miles by the end of the year.

The 37-year-old, who successfully completed the Race the Distance challenge in 2017, has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Ward 29 at Ninewells Hospital and CLIC Sargent.

Her 13-year-old daughter, Danielle, was looked after by Ward 29 after undergoing a procedure to straighten her legs.

Tina said: “My daughter had to have both her legs broken and plates put in to straighten them out. Her legs pointed inwards and she was having pain walking.

“She was in Ward 29 for a week, during which time I stayed in their poppy suite. It was just so great having something like that so near for the parents and I wanted to raise money for them because they were so nice to us and made the whole experience better.”

Tina, who works as an admissions officer at Abertay University, is completing