Who knew that chimpanzees love to dance? They also like to clap along to music, and nod their head, tap their feet and move in time with rhythm. new study shows that chimpanzees could appreciate music. researchers are from Kyoto University in Japan. They say their study could help us understand how early humans developed interest in music. Researchers Dr Yuko Hattori and professor Masaki Tomonaga conducted tests on seven chimps. They played apes six two-minute songs on piano for six days. The researchers said chimps had definite sense of rhythm and it changed their mood. The male chimpanzees seemed to respond to melodies more than females.
The researchers wrote that chimpanzees could have passed on liking for music and dance to early humans millions of years ago. This could have happened via common ancestor around six million years ago. researchers said study suggested that our love of dancing was deep inside earliest humans. Dr Hattori said: "Chimpanzees dance to some extent in same way as humans." She added: "In humans, listening to music causes rhythmic movement, suggesting close connection between auditory and motor areas in the brain." She believes research could shed light on evolution of dancing in humans and why we love melody and rhythm so much.
