Music plays important role in everybody’s life. Nowadays youth even communicates and chooses friends according to the music preferences.

Anyone with normal hearing can feel the difference of musical tones in a scale: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do. People take this ability for granted, though most of the mammals can not enjoy the music.

This information reported in January 2010 in the journal Nature is one of many insights into the remarkable acuity of human hearing revealed by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Izhak Fried and his colleagues observed epileptic patients. Electrodes were implanted in the patients’ brain to determine the source of their attacks. Some of the probes linked to the auditory cortex, providing the scientists with a detailed data of sound processing.

The study revealed that along the auditory nerve on the way from ear to auditory cortex clusters of sensitive neurons exist. In these neurons natural sounds, for example music or human voice, elicit a completely different set of responses. In this mixed environment people can easily detect frequencies as fine as 1/12 of octave—a half step in musical terminology.

Bats are the only mammal with ability to hear difference in tones better than human beings. Predatory species such as cats, dogs and so on can discriminate resolutions of one third of octave only. Even monkeys and other primates do not come close: it’s a fact that macaques can resolve only half an octave. The question is still actual: Why? Study results suggest the answer – fine discrimination of sound is not necessary for species survival. Researchers consider that humans use their fine hearing to facilitate learning capabilities and working memory. However to explore the puzzle researches are to be continued. Meanwhile we can use our advantage and enjoy the music.