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The roots of music
Cover story |
The roots of music Humans are obsessed with music. Even if you don’t play an instrument or exist to the soundtrack of an MP3 player, chances are that you consider music to be one of the things that makes life worth living. One reason for this is that our musical roots run deep: even before our ancestors could speak, they probably sang to one another. Darwin was the first to suggest this, but the idea has only been taken seriously in the past decade. Now it is helping researchers address some intriguing questions. Is our love of music special, or do other animals take similar pleasure in a beautiful melody? Is human musicality innate or learned? How much of what we hear is “out there” and how much is an illusion created in our brains? How come some people are completely unmusical? And can engaging with music change the way your brain works, even as an adult? New Scientist explores all this and more in this special issue
28 | NewScientist | 23 February 2008
www.newscientist.com
The roots of music Humans are obsessed with music. Even if you don’t play an instrument or exist to the soundtrack of an MP3 player, chances are that you consider music to be one of the things that makes life worth living. One reason for this is that our musical roots run deep: even before our ancestors could speak, they probably sang to one another. Darwin was the first to suggest this, but the idea has only been taken seriously in the past decade. Now it is helping researchers address some intriguing questions. Is our love of music special, or do other animals take similar pleasure in a beautiful melody? Is human musicality innate or learned? How much of what we hear is “out there” and how much is an illusion created in our brains? How come some people are completely unmusical? And can engaging with music change the way your brain works, even as an adult? New Scientist explores all this and more in this special issue
28 | NewScientist | 23 February 2008
www.newscientist.com