Beccacece Livia, Abondio Paolo, Cilli Elisabetta, Restani Donatella, Luiselli Donata
Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna-Ravenna Campus, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 20;22(10):5397. doi: 10.3390/ijms22105397.
Music is an exclusive feature of humankind. It can be considered as a form of universal communication, only partly comparable to the vocalizations of songbirds. Many trends of research in this field try to address music origins, as well as the genetic bases of musicality. On one hand, several hypotheses have been made on the evolution of music and its role, but there is still debate, and comparative studies suggest a gradual evolution of some abilities underlying musicality in primates. On the other hand, genome-wide studies highlight several genes associated with musical aptitude, confirming a genetic basis for different musical skills which humans show. Moreover, some genes associated with musicality are involved also in singing and song learning in songbirds, suggesting a likely evolutionary convergence between humans and songbirds. This comprehensive review aims at presenting the concept of music as a sociocultural manifestation within the current debate about its biocultural origin and evolutionary function, in the context of the most recent discoveries related to the cross-species genetics of musical production and perception.
音乐是人类独有的特征。它可被视为一种通用的交流形式，仅在一定程度上可与鸣禽的发声相媲美。该领域的许多研究趋势试图探讨音乐的起源以及音乐性的基因基础。一方面，关于音乐的进化及其作用已经提出了几种假说，但仍存在争议，比较研究表明灵长类动物中一些构成音乐性的能力是逐渐进化而来的。另一方面，全基因组研究突出了几个与音乐天赋相关的基因，证实了人类所展现出的不同音乐技能具有基因基础。此外，一些与音乐性相关的基因也参与鸣禽的歌唱和歌曲学习，这表明人类与鸣禽之间可能存在进化趋同现象。这篇综述旨在结合与音乐产生和感知的跨物种遗传学相关的最新发现，在当前关于音乐的生物文化起源和进化功能的争论背景下，阐述音乐作为一种社会文化表现形式的概念。
