Takao Hensch, professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, believes that absolute pitch — the ability to identify or sing a specific note without any reference points — is a learned ability, normally only acquirable by humans in a "critical period" early in our lives. In the past, Hensch and other scientists believed, if we missed the window and hadn't gained the ability to pick out or produce a note at will by the time we were around seven years old, we wouldn't ever be able to master the skill as adults.
But a new study co-authored by Hensch claims that a drug gives humans the ability to learn perfect pitch, long after critical period has closed. Hensch says that when applied to a group of test subjects,...
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/6/5279182/valproate-may-give-humans-perfect-pitch-by-resetting-critical-periods-in-brain
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