Work

A universal animal communication tempo resonates with the receiver's brain

Year: 2025

Type: preprint

Abstract: During fieldwork in Thailand we observed nearly identical frequencies of co-located flashing fireflies and chirping crickets. Motivated by this, we perform a meta-analysis and show an abundance of evolutionarily distinct species that communicate isochronously at ~0.5-4 Hz, suggesting that this might be a frequency "hotspot." We hypothesize that this timescale may have a universal basis in the biophysics of the receiver's neurons. We test this by demonstrating that small receiver circuits constructed from elements representing typical neurons will be most responsive in the observed frequency range.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2508.21530

Authors: Amichay, Guy, Balasubramanian, Vijay, Abrams, Daniel M.

Language: English

Topic: Neural dynamics and brain function

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Northwestern University, University of Oxford, Balliol College, University of Oxford

OpenAlex ID: W4415991059

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