Zebra Finch Parents’ Embryonic Learning V.S. Music And Your Unborn Child

Mothers usually set about teaching songs to their offspring the moment they're born. But the females of one Australian bird called Zebra Finch can't wait that long.

Recently researchers noticed that Zebra Finch parents would sing, or say make special calls when alone with their eggs. So they decide to record them and see what's going on. After examining 600 hours of recording, it turns out these calls happen when it's hot outside. Only in temps higher than 26 degree. The eggs can't tell it's hot because their parents bodies keep them at a constant 37 degree.

But the eggs listening? When researchers played recorded calls to incubating eggs, they say a difference. Baby birds that hatched from "hot call" eggs grew slower in warmer temperatures. Smaller bodies are easier to cool--a possible advantage in hot times. And when they grew up, hot-call birds that weighed less and lived in warmer nests had more offspring.

Science reported"It's interesting and surprising that vocal communication at such an early stage of development could have such persistent effects,"says Renee Duckworth, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "The study is novel, surprising, and fascinating, and is sure to lead to much more work on parent-embryo communication," says Robert Magrath, a behavioral ecologist at the Australian National University in Canberra who was not involved in the study.

You may naturally ask does music affect fetal development? Does playing music make my baby smarter? How do I play music for my unborn child? How loud is too loud?

According to Baby Center, the Medical Advisory Board said no one knows for sure. Some studies indicate that fetuses can hear and react to sound by moving. But no one really knows what those movements mean because experts can't observe an unborn baby as easily as a baby that has already been born. Also, no research supports the idea that playing music when your baby is in the womb makes her smarter.

While, Others say newborns can recognize music their parents played for them when they were in the womb and even perk up or fall asleep when they hear a familiar song. But Janet DiPietro, a developmental psychologist who studies fetal development at Johns Hopkins University, says these conclusions are purely anecdotal and aren't based on true research.

Then should we and how do we play music for my unborn child? According to Baby Center, experts say that experts can't seem to agree on whether music is enjoyable or bothersome to fetuses, it's better to proceed cautiously. If you decide to try it, remember that moderation is key. Attitude is important. Play music because you enjoy it, not because you're trying to make your unborn baby smarter.

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