Project description
The evolutionary roots of the human capacity for rhythm
Humans seem to have an almost natural sense of rhythm. The ERC-funded TOHR project aims to investigate why this is and how it came to be. In particular, the project will elucidate which species have rhythm, and why humans evolved to be such chatty, rhythmic creatures. To do this, the project will test the rhythmic abilities of humans and four other species, which include two non-human primates and two aquatic mammals, using various measures including, among others, gait tracking and non-invasive electrophysiology. The comparative work on animals will allow the project team to test evolutionary hypotheses on the origins of rhythm in humans.
Objective
Humans are particularly rhythmic animals. Why did the human sense of rhythm develop? Many hypotheses try to explain the origins of our acoustic rhythm capacities, but few are empirically tested, compared, and comparatively investigated. This project searches for the evolutionary roots of human rhythmicity, breaking new ground through three concerted approaches. First, I zoom in on key rhythmic properties: isochrony, an even occurrence of events in time, and meter, a relative accentuation of events. Second, I compare hypotheses on rhythm origins, selecting the most relevant ones to music and speech and testing them against each other. Third, I target rhythm precursors in other species as predicted by these alternative hypotheses. I test four hypotheses, which propose that 1) gait or 2) breathing control, and the ability to 3) learn new sounds or 4) sing in a chorus are evolutionary precursors to human rhythm. I will use different measures including behavior, electrophysiology, gait tracking, breathing, and computational modeling to test whether the four features above predict rhythmic capacities. Comparative animal work is needed to test whether similar evolutionary pressures lead to similar rhythmic traits. I will collect data from humans and four more species. I will test seals, displaying vocal learning, and porpoises; both mammals have developed breathing control. I will also test siamangs, displaying rhythmic locomotion, and indris; both primates naturally sing in choruses, a rare trait in non-human mammals. Finding rhythm in other species will provide a test bench to reconstruct the origins of human rhythm. Resting on my background in bioacoustics and mathematics, the project expands in new challenging directions, such as neurophysiology of marine mammals, automated gait analyses, and biomusicology. In brief, I will show which species have rhythm, and why humans evolved to be such chatty, rhythmic creatures.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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00185 Roma
Italy
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