Because birds share our talent for nuanced vocal communication, they make excellent models for helping us understand verbal learning and memory. Dan Margoliash has been studying the neurobiology of how birds learn and remember their songs for much of his long, productive career. What he’s learned provides critical clues to understanding our own brains, from how sleep influences learning to how problems like stuttering can arise.

Samuel L Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, and even current presidential candidate Joe Biden—stuttered or stammered as children. While the vast majority overcome childhood stuttering, the embarrassment and bullying the condition elicits can leave long-lasting anxiety regarding speaking in social situations.