Newborns pick up the beat

Days after birth, babies display neural signs of detecting a rhythmic beat, a capacity that may be critical for learning music

Sonny and Cher once crooned that the beat goes on, but little did they know that the beat starts up within days of birth. A new study indicates that the brains of 2- to 3-day-old babies recognize when a rhythmic drum sequence lacks its initial beat, or downbeat.