This article was originally featured in MIT Press. In 2009, my research group found that newborns possess the ability to discern a regular pulse–the beat–in music. It’s a skill that might seem trivial ...

A March 2025 music study reveals that someone's love of music might be more determined by their genetic makeup than they ...

The evidence presented in the research on music and evolution, beginning with Darwin himself, 1 focusses largely on music's purported ability to support "mate selection, parental care, coalition ...

Music listening is a ubiquitous and constant phenomenon in our lives. This desire is driven by music’s core effects on motivation, pleasure, and social connection. These effects promote health and ...

Ronan the sea lion can dance to a lot of different songs, but there is something about “Boogie Wonderland,” by Earth, Wind and Fire that really gets her going. It didn’t take more than a few days for ...

Humans devote ample time to producing and listening to music. What music offers to humans is universally valued. This universality raises the question of the origin of human musicality. What is music ...