#christopher olson

OHSU study finds why alcohol makes humans slur by help of tipsy birds

WASHINGTON: A recent study by Oregon Health & Science University got some national attention on the topic of drunken birds. Scientists know little about why humans slur their speech when they drink alcohol. Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University hope tipsy songbirds can help them uncover clues. OHSU researcher Christopher Olson is recording the sounds made by male zebra finches. Olson…

What Drunk Finches Can Tell Us About Human Speech

A new study of the effects on alcohol on zebra finches could tell us a lot about human speech. Image: Shutterstock

It turns out drunk zebra finches can tell us a lot about human speech.

In a study published last week, researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University fed finches tiny amounts of a concoction of juice and 6% alcohol to study how it affected their song patterns.

Because birds…