Nature Might Pulse to a Universal Rhythm – 2 Beats Per Second

Researchers found that signals from insects, frogs, birds, fish, crustaceans, mammals, and human music often cluster around a tempo of about 2 beats per second.

Across published studies and sample recordings, most communication rhythms fell between 0.5 and 4 hertz, suggesting a shared timing range across species.

The team says this pace may be especially easy for brains to track, which could help explain why unrelated animals evolved similar communication tempos.

The finding points to a possible basic constraint—or advantage—in how brains process signals and how communication systems evolved.