Study Estimates Latest Emergence of Human Musicality
Researchers Oliver T. Bellman, Melina Witt, and Marisa Hoeschele place the upper limit of musicality's origin at 135,000 years ago.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Singing
Researchers Oliver T. Bellman, Melina Witt, and Marisa Hoeschele estimated the latest point at which musicality emerged in Homo sapiens. Their reasoning rests on music existing in almost every known human culture, which places its emergence before the first population divergence roughly 135,000 years ago.
Why it matters
Musicality is defined as the set of abilities required to perceive, produce, and appreciate music, so dating its emergence offers a benchmark for studying early human cognition. The estimate also suggests the components of musicality may have evolved gradually and could predate Homo sapiens altogether.
The estimate combines archaeological finds, including bone flutes dated to around 40,000 years ago and a conch shell about 17,000 years old, with genomic data placing the first population divergence at 135,000 years ago. Whether the Slovenian flute-like object was made by Neanderthals remains disputed.
The players
Oliver T. Bellman
Bellman is one of the three researchers who authored the estimate of when musicality emerged in Homo sapiens.
Melina Witt
Witt is one of the three researchers who authored the estimate of when musicality emerged in Homo sapiens.
Marisa Hoeschele
Hoeschele is one of the three researchers who authored the estimate of when musicality emerged in Homo sapiens.
The details
The researchers reasoned that because music exists in some form within almost every known human culture, it must have emerged before the first population divergence, which gave rise to the Khoisan peoples of South Africa. Chimpanzees have been observed swaying, tapping their feet, and clapping along with music, and chimpanzee Ayumu combines percussion with vocals.
Timeline
Between 6 and 8 million years ago: the Homo-Pan split occurred.
135,000 years ago: the first population divergence in Homo sapiens took place.
Around 40,000 years ago: the first known bone flutes appeared.
12,000 years ago: bone flutes mimicking the calls of birds of prey were made.
Roadmap
The estimate extends the long-running debate over whether Neanderthals made the Slovenian flute-like object, which some researchers have attributed to them. By placing the emergence of musicality before the first population divergence of Homo sapiens, the study shifts the debate toward gradually evolved musical capacities that may predate our species.
Readers who sing or play music can see the study as a reminder that musical ability is deeply rooted in human history rather than a recent cultural invention. The finding does not change how music is practiced, but it frames vocal and instrumental skills as long-standing human capacities.
The takeaway
Musicality appears to be an ancient human trait, with its essential components possibly evolving gradually over hundreds of thousands of years. Singers and musicians can view their craft as part of a shared heritage stretching back far before recorded history.
Further reading
For more on the human voice and vocal traditions, explore the Singing section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by IFLScience.
