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 that critical period has closed. Hensch says that when applied to a group of test subjects, valproate — a mood stabilizer more commonly used to treat epilepsy — returned the brain’s plasticity to a “juvenile state,” allowing it to learn skills it should be too old for.
via The Verge
