00:00Researchers say newborn babies can anticipate rhythm in music, offering new insight into a
00:05fundamental human ability. Babies in the womb begin responding to music at around eight or
00:10nine months of pregnancy, according to Dr Roberta Bianco. She said changes in heart rate and body
00:16movement show early engagement, adding that previous research suggests musical memory can
00:23carry over from the womb to birth. What has been unclear is how deeply different elements of music
00:29are processed by newborn brains. The new study suggests babies can detect and predict rhythmic
00:35patterns, but not melody. Earlier studies had shown that macaque monkeys also appear
00:41more sensitive to rhythm than melody.
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