A recent study from the ELTE Department of Ethology in Hungary has uncovered intriguing findings about how different mammals process vocal sounds. This research, published in NeuroImage, reveals how both humans, dogs, and pigs share common brain mechanisms when responding to voices. The study, which utilized EEG recordings to capture brain activity, compares responses to various vocalizations across these species.
According to Physics.org, the results suggest that these mechanisms are deeply rooted in evolutionary history, shedding light on the ancient neural pathways involved in voice recognition, although specific details about the findings are still being analyzed.
One Experiment, Three Species, One Surprising Result
In a groundbreaking study from the ELTE Department of Ethology in Hungary, scientists discovered that humans, dogs, and pigs—three species separated by roughly 90 million years of evolution—share strikingly similar brain mechanisms for recognizing vocal sounds.
The research, conducted at the Neuroethology of Communication Lab and published in NeuroImage, is the first direct comparison of companion animals and humans using identical EEG-based protocols.
Voices Trigger the Brain in Just 200 Milliseconds
Participants (human, canine, and porcine) were exposed to a series of sounds, including human sighs and coughs, dog barks, pig grunts, and various non-vocal environmental noises like dripping water or buzzing machines. EEG electrodes, placed gently on each participant’s head, recorded rapid brain responses.
The results?
The brain’s response followed a two-step pattern – explains Boglárka Morvai, postdoctoral researcher and first author of the study.
In humans and pigs, any vocalization—regardless of the species—triggered distinct brain activity within just 200 milliseconds of hearing it. That suggests these sounds stand out as particularly salient.
Then, slightly later—after 300 milliseconds—the brain began to recognize whether the voice came from one’s own species, a more complex classification process observed in all three species.
These Brain Mechanisms Run Deep in Evolution
The study reveals that despite the vast evolutionary distances, the brain mechanisms involved in voice recognition show remarkable similarities. This suggests that these neural pathways may have evolved long before humans, dogs, and pigs diverged from their common ancestors.
Although vocal sounds carry important information for many animals, it was previously unclear how these abilities are reflected in the brain across evolutionarily distant mammal species – says Morvai.
This study provides rare insight into the neural architecture of voice processing, pointing to shared brain mechanisms that likely existed long before humans started walking upright.
Remarkably, these patterns were very similar despite the large evolutionary distance between the three species – she adds,
Pointing to shared neural mechanisms that likely predate the divergence of their lineages some 90 million years ago.
Pigs and Dogs Don’t Favor Human Voices—Even if They Love Us
Interestingly, the brains of domesticated animals—even those raised closely with humans—did not show any preference for human voices.
Surprisingly, even though the tested dogs and pigs live closely alongside people, their brains didn’t show a special sensitivity for human voices – says Lilla Magyari, associate professor at the University of Stavanger and co-supervisor of the study.
This supports the idea that these abilities were not affected by recent domestication, but are part of an ancient mammalian heritage.
That insight turns a common assumption on its head. Domestication, it seems, hasn’t fundamentally changed the way these animals’ brains process voices—a job handled by evolutionary-old brain mechanisms we all still carry.
Trusting Animals Opens New Scientific Doors
The beauty of this research lies not just in the results, but in the method. None of the animals were trained, sedated, or restrained. They simply sat calmly with their human companions during the session, their brains responding naturally to the sounds around them.
Our results show that by working with animals who trust us enough to take part in these experiments – says Attila Andics, principal investigator of the lab,
We can uncover fundamental biological mechanisms that have shaped communication for millions of years.
That trust allows scientists to peek inside the working minds of animals—without stress, without force—and glimpse the brain mechanisms that may be the building blocks of language, bonding, and survival itself.