Dear All, This Wednesday (4pm) we have a seminar led by Floriane Fournier (University of Saint Etienne) entitled "Voices of Emotion: Investigating Cross-Species Vocal Communication in Bonobos" - abstract below. The meeting will be held online. Please find a link to the meeting below. Abstract The ability to perceive and respond to emotions expressed in vocalizations is widespread among mammals and plays a central role in social coordination and survival. However, while emotional communication within species is well documented, the mechanisms that enable emotion recognition across species remain poorly understood. Using bonobos (Pan paniscus) as a model within the Hominidae, this research investigates how emotional information is encoded in vocal signals and how it is decoded by both conspecifics and humans. Drawing on recent theoretical advances in cross-species emotion research, this work combines large-scale acoustic analyses with controlled playback experiments. Analyses of natural bonobo vocalizations show that nonlinear acoustic phenomena— a key component of vocal roughness—systematically vary with the caller’s affective state, increasing in emotionally intense contexts. Using parametrically resynthesized calls, causal tests demonstrate that vocal roughness directly influences receivers across species. Exposure to increased amplitude modulation elevates cardiac activity in both bonobos and humans, accelerates orientation responses in bonobos, and leads human listeners to perceive calls as more negative in valence and higher in arousal. These convergent physiological, attentional, and perceptual effects suggest that vocal roughness functions as a cross-species marker of emotional arousal. In parallel, emotional contagion of positive affect was investigated through laughter playbacks. Laughter, a high-arousal, positive-valence signal observed in humans and great apes, elicited play-related behaviors in bonobos. Responses were modulated by familiarity: laughter from familiar conspecifics and human caretakers enhanced positive engagement, whereas responses to unfamiliar individuals varied depending on species. Together, these findings provide evidence for evolutionary continuity in vocal emotion signaling across Hominidae and shed new light on the biological foundations of cross-species socio-emotional communication and empathy. Link to the meeting: BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2F… BERG seminar schedule (Spring 2026):  Date Speaker Affiliation Talk title Chair 25-Feb-26 Floriane Fournier Université Jean Monnet TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos Pawel 4-Mar-26 MID SEMESTER BREAK 11-Mar-26 IMPACT meeting Impact research catch up Pawel 18-Mar-26 Robert Aitchison University of Stirling TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour Pawel 25-Mar-26 Janie Fink University of St Andrews; University of California Davis TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition Pawel 1-Apr-26 Maleen Thiele Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology TBC Alex 8-Apr-26 Stephan Kaufhold Univesity of California, San Diego TBC Alex 29-Apr-26 Patrick Allsop Bangor University TBC. Zanzibar red colobus, human-wildlife conflict Pawel Best wishes, Pawel ________________________________ Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159