Is music a unique human trait or an ancient inheritance from the animal kingdom?
In short: Music exists in every known human culture, with instruments dating back 40,000 years. This lecture explores whether our musicality is a biological extension of animal sounds or a distinct evolutionary development, examining insights from genetics, anthropology, and neuroscience to explain why music triggers such profound emotional responses.
Recorded on 29th June 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London, this lecture features Gresham Professor of Music Milton Mermikides and Gresham Professor of Physic Robin May. The speakers investigate the biological foundations of music, questioning if human musical expression is merely a continuation of evolutionary traits seen in species like grasshoppers and nightingales.
The discussion bridges multiple disciplines, including neuroscience and infectious disease research, to understand the mechanisms behind musical emotion and the consequences when the biology of music malfunctions. It serves as the opening session for the Gresham Festival of Musical Ideas.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Evolution of Music - Milton Mermikides and Robin May
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