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Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface
Published on: May 8, 2021
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Groove to the music.
Asif A Ghazanfar1,2, Gavin Steingo3
1Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 27, 2025
Summary
Tapping macaques offer insights into musicality evolution. Their rhythmic abilities suggest a shared evolutionary basis for music perception and production in primates.
Area of Science:
- Comparative psychology
- Evolutionary biology
- Primate behavior
Background:
- Musicality, the capacity to create and perceive music, is a hallmark of human culture.
- Understanding the evolutionary origins of musicality requires examining non-human animals, particularly primates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate rhythmic abilities in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis).
- To explore the potential evolutionary precursors to human musicality.
Main Methods:
- Observing spontaneous rhythmic tapping in macaques during drumming tasks.
- Analyzing the temporal patterns and variability of their taps.
Main Results:
- Macaques exhibited spontaneous, non-learned rhythmic tapping behavior.
- Tapping patterns showed evidence of temporal regularity and variability, akin to basic musical elements.
Conclusions:
- Rhythmic abilities may be more widespread in primates than previously thought.
- These findings suggest that the evolutionary roots of musicality are ancient and shared among primates.
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