The anatomical differences in our vocal tracts could be one of the sources of our Tower of Babel—the vast difference in languages spoken around the world, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Steven Moran and Tiena Danner from the University of Neuch tel, Switzerland, and colleagues.

Many variations exist in the human voice. People vary in the size and shape of the tissues in the head and neck and also shape that anatomy differently to produce similar sounds. Developmental and cultural factors will shape the way people speak.