The article says no other animal exhibits this behavior, so there must be something more to it than just heartbeat detection. What sort of survival trait is that, anyway?
Hm. That makes me instantly suspicious. Scientists are always looking for the one thing that separates us from the animals, when in fact we don't do anything different, only more so. (Other animals talk, or can learn to talk, but not with our vocabulary; other animals make tools, but we are the only ones to have gotten as far as lathes; etc.)
As far as music goes, our sense of music is right in line with other animals - just witness how melodic birdsong is to us - birds follow the same rules we do when putting melodies together. I think we'll find animals that dance, and then we'll find that they turn out to be as good at spotting a missing beat.
But I won't dispute that music and dance are almost certainly an integral part of human development (just as speech is) - the earliest decorated pottery found appears to show people ring dancing.
Oh, speaking of dance, I discovered (at a polar exploration exhibit) that dance was how soldiers and sailors kept fit in the days before calisthenics and forced marches.
There's also some stuff talked about it being important for babies to learn rhythm before they can learn to crawl and walk. But as Peter says, other animals seem to manage it, and manage it a damn sight faster than we do!
Given that the beat of music originates with the beat of the mother's heart that we hear in the womb, how is this surprising?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem that surprising to me - but it seems that conventional wisdom has it that a beat is something that's learned in early babyhood.
ReplyDeleteThumpthump Thumpthump
ReplyDeleteThe article says no other animal exhibits this behavior, so there must be something more to it than just heartbeat detection. What sort of survival trait is that, anyway?
ReplyDeleteHm. That makes me instantly suspicious. Scientists are always looking for the one thing that separates us from the animals, when in fact we don't do anything different, only more so. (Other animals talk, or can learn to talk, but not with our vocabulary; other animals make tools, but we are the only ones to have gotten as far as lathes; etc.)
ReplyDeleteAs far as music goes, our sense of music is right in line with other animals - just witness how melodic birdsong is to us - birds follow the same rules we do when putting melodies together. I think we'll find animals that dance, and then we'll find that they turn out to be as good at spotting a missing beat.
But I won't dispute that music and dance are almost certainly an integral part of human development (just as speech is) - the earliest decorated pottery found appears to show people ring dancing.
Oh, speaking of dance, I discovered (at a polar exploration exhibit) that dance was how soldiers and sailors kept fit in the days before calisthenics and forced marches.
ReplyDeleteWhalesong's quite neat
ReplyDeleteThat is downright beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYeah, well, I didn't want to give them stage fright
ReplyDeleteThere's also some stuff talked about it being important for babies to learn rhythm before they can learn to crawl and walk. But as Peter says, other animals seem to manage it, and manage it a damn sight faster than we do!
ReplyDeleteMy mum used to throw my brother up in the air to "Get Off of My Cloud" by the 'Stones. He is a great guitarist now.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine's mum used to hold a pair of headphones to her belly and play Santana's Black Magic Woman - He's a drummer now! :)
ReplyDeleteProbably a good job she didn't listen to Hendrix - he'd've been covered in lighter fuel!
ReplyDeleteFrostie dances as well as Chubby Checkers ever did. ...And better than me. ;-(
ReplyDeleteI want my very own Frostie.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMnwOZA0DQk
ReplyDeletevia
Jammin'!
ReplyDelete