Saturday, April 27, 2024

Lemurs have a rhythm in their skin

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Maria Gill
Maria Gill
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The House of Science is like a collection of stories. Beautiful tales told to live in all their freshness. But also in all its complexities. Arch to marvel at the treasures of the world. In this new episode, let’s meet one of our cousins: the lemur.

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[EN VIDÉO] Silent Elephant song
Elephants can produce ultrasound waves that are inaudible to humans but allow them to communicate up to ten kilometers away. By shifting the frequencies, Christian Herbst of the University of Vienna, who recorded these songs in South Africa in 2012, allows us to hear them.

Indri, did you know? No, it’s not a language a stranger. This is the name of a lemur species Little strange. Because the indri is the largest lemur in the world first and foremost. imagined. When his legs are completely relaxed, he can stand up to four feet tall. Some individuals weigh up to 9 kilograms. no thing.

On the other hand, myths tell about the close relationship that can exist between a human and Indri. On the side of Madagascar – where this lemur lives – he tells himself, orally, that two brothers live in ancient forests. One day, someone decided to leave the forest to plant a fertile land. became human. The other remained in the forest and became Indri.

Unfortunately, this link appears to have faded over time. Today Indri is ranked among endangered species. In question, destroying her habitat forFarming or register. But also fishing. Because indri is highly prized for its meat and skin. in a Signboard Legends then. Make way for the reality of the world. to disintegrate cultures.

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Unless scientists can turn the tide. Maybe it shows how close Indri really is to us. Because you know that this large lemur is also a rare species primates The world to know … to sing! This is how he communicates with his comrades in misfortune. Sometimes indris form pairs or pairs. And their songs fly for miles. Amazing, isn’t it? But wait, it’s not over yet.

Indris songs are like human songs

after, after Twelve years of work On forty individuals, the researchers were able to distinguish a different rhythm in males and females. However, all of their songs seem to follow the same tunes. Alleged tunes “cut” Help identify the song. This is the term scientists use to refer to sounds that are spaced out at intervals in the same way. Duration – We’ll talk about a 1:1 rhythm – or a doubling time – then we’ll talk about a 1:2 rhythm.

The 1:1 rhythm is not very rare in nature. Adopted by several types of birds. The 1:2 rhythm is much less frequent. It’s even the first time it’s been observed in a Mammals. other than the man. The mark of a very special ability developed by indri. let her show Complex and detailed songs. Even reproduce the famous introduction of ” we will Rock You “.

All of this could help researchers trace the origins of the rhythm itself. They believed that this incisive rhythm, crossing eras and cultures, constitutes a kind of universal music. Specifically of a global humanitarian nature. But seeing this trait in Indri suddenly caused human music to be pushed out of its base. Encourage scholars to imagine new roots in the music evolution tree. However, it remains to be understood whether this trait was passed down to us by our last common ancestor, more than 77 million years ago or if it evolved independently. Perhaps to help with communication within groups. Further study of other universal rhythms—there are six of them—in the Indri or in other genres may provide the answer.

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Meanwhile, in the researchers’ recordings, we can also hear that lemurs adapt to Ritardando. This is what musicians call the gradual slowing down of the melody. For Indri, another way to show his extraordinary musical abilities. Perhaps also to defend her position in this world – like a generalization whale song At that time, marine mammal conservation efforts helped. And to prove, anyway… that he’s not that stupid!

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