Amazing stuff!
"... In a new study, ... scientists found that communication signals across a wide range of species tend to repeat at about 2 hertz, or roughly two beats per second.
The researchers propose this tempo might reflect a shared biological constraint. Animal brains, including humans, may be naturally tuned to process signals arriving at that pace. In other words, two beats per second may be a rhythmic "sweet spot" that enables brains to detect signals more easily and process communication more efficiently. ..."
"Why it matters: Understanding this potentially universal tempo could help scientists better interpret animal signaling and social behavior across species. ..."
From the abstract:
"During fieldwork in Thailand, we observed nearly identical tempos of co-located flashing fireflies and chirping crickets.
Motivated by this, we survey published data showing that an abundance of evolutionarily distinct species communicate isochronously at ~0.5–4 Hz, suggesting that this might be a tempo “hotspot.”
We hypothesize that this timescale may have a universal basis in the biophysics of the receiver’s neurons.
We test this by demonstrating that small receiver circuits constructed from elements representing typical neurons will be most responsive in the observed tempo range."
Nature might have a universal rhythm (original news release) "From insects to birds to mammals, communication signals follow a common tempo"
Fig 1. Tempo comparison across scales, taxa, modalities, and media.
Fig 3. Schematic of the modeling methodology.
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