RAT NEWS FOR ALL RAT ENTHUSIASTS OF TUMBLR
Article Summary:
A new study published by The University of Tokyo has determined that rats are naturally capable of beat synchronisation - i.e. the ability to recognise and move in time to a beat - with no prior exposure or training.
Until recently, innate beat synchronisation was thought to be a unique skill of humans.
In the study, ten rats and twenty humans were equipped with head-mounted accelerometers, which recorded their movements as they listened to K.448 by Mozart, Born This Way by Lady Gaga, Another One Bites the Dust by Queen, Beat It by Michael Jackson, and Sugar by Maroon 5, at various speeds.
Both rats and humans bopped their heads most when the tempo was between 120 and 140 BPM.
This optimal tempo is believed to be dependent on the “time constant in the brain” (the speed that information is processed at), which is very similar across all species. It is now hypothesised that beat synchronisation is a widespread trait in animals.
This discovery may provide insight into our own perception and creation of music.
TL;DR:
RATS LIKE TO CUT A RUG
ANIMALS ARE GROOVIN’ TO THE RHYTHM OF THE BRAIN
NEIL REALLY WAS BANGIN’ OUT THOSE TUNES
