Brain's ability to hear a musical beat remains distinctly human, study suggests
A new study suggests that the human brain's ability to perceive musical beats is a distinct evolutionary trait present from birth. Researchers argue that while experience refines this skill, the foundational capacity for beat-based prediction is innate.
Why it matters
Understanding the biological basis of rhythm provides insight into human cognitive evolution and the development of musicality.
by HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Gradual audio-motor evolution with reward (GAER) hypothesis. Credit: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1111/nyas.70386 The seemingly trivial ability to hear a regular pulse in music is a remarkable—and perhaps distinctively human—feature of the brain. In a wide-ranging critical review, Gábor Háden of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences and Henkjan Honing of the University of Amsterdam evaluate more than two decades of research into how this capacity develops and has evolved. Their paper was published this week in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences .
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