A team of researchers has identified multiple genes linked to musical aptitude, providing further evidence that musical ability is heritable.
The team, led by Irma Jarvela of the University of Finland, analyzed the genomes of 767 people, representing 76 families. Fifteen of the families were selected for having several professional musicians, while the rest were simply recruited from advertisements. Subjects older than seven were assessed for musical aptitude. In three separate tests, subjects were asked to discern small differences in tone pitch and duration, and to detect minute differences in sound patterns from various musical sequences. Armed with this abundance of genomes and test results, the researchers then associated specific genes with musical aptitude.
Read the full, original story: These Genes May Make a Musician
