Podcast Summary: Short Wave

Episode: "Babies Got Beat: Why Rhythm Might Be Innate"

Date: February 6, 2026 | Hosts: Regina Barber & Rachel Carlson
Guest: Juana Summers

Episode Overview

This episode of Short Wave explores fascinating recent studies that reveal why rhythm may be innate in humans, provides insight into reptile hunger hormones, and unpacks new findings on sleeping and problem-solving. The hosts, Regina and Rachel, are joined by Juana Summers from All Things Considered for their biweekly science news roundup. The conversation is accessible, humorous, and packed with science you can use in daily life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Are Babies Born With a Sense of Rhythm?

[02:13 – 04:08]

• The Experiment:

  • Scientists played Bach's piano music to sleeping newborns and monitored their brain activity with EEGs, to test if babies could perceive rhythm and melody.
  • Babies’ brains were checked for the ability to predict the next note’s rhythm or melody.

• Findings:

  • Babies could track complex rhythms but didn't show signs of predicting melody.
    • Rachel: “They found that the babies tracked the rhythm, even though it could get pretty complicated. But the babies didn’t track the melody.” [03:05]

• Why Are Humans Born Tuned to Rhythm?

  • Developmental neuroscientist Laurel Trainor suggests rhythm underpins many biological processes and behaviors.
    • Laurel Trainor: “Babies crawl rhythmically. They flail their arms rhythmically. Their heartbeats are rhythmically rhythmic. So in biological systems, rhythms are just fundamental to everything from movement to perceiving things like speech or music to thinking.” [03:30]

• Contextual Note:

  • Melody tracking may mature later. The study only examined responses to Western classical music.

2. What Makes Snakes So Good at Fasting?

[04:08 – 05:50]

• Background:

  • Certain reptiles, like snakes and chameleons, can go months or even a year without eating, then consume huge meals.

• Genetic Discovery:

  • New research on 100+ reptile species found that some snakes and chameleons have lost the gene for the hunger hormone ghrelin.
    • Rachel: “Researchers looked at the genomes… and found some snakes and chameleons have lost the genes that produce the hunger hormone ghrelin.” [04:27]

• Significance for Humans:

  • Ghrelin triggers hunger; its absence in reptiles might explain their ability to fast.
  • Other appetite hormones (like GLP1) are still present; these regulate feeling full.
  • Understanding reptile metabolism may offer insights for human biology and drug development.
    • Bonus trivia: GLP1 drugs for humans (like Ozempic) were partially inspired by studies of Gila monster venom. [05:36]

3. Does Sleeping Help Solve Problems?

[05:50 – 08:32]

• Study Summary:

  • Cognitive neuroscientist Ken Pallor and his team worked with lucid dreamers (people aware when they’re dreaming).
  • Participants were given tricky puzzles (e.g., “G, E, S, G”—which stands for "scrambled eggs") for three minutes, along with a unique audio cue.
  • During REM sleep, researchers played the audio cue to see if it prompted dream-based problem-solving.

• Results:

  • Volunteers were over twice as likely to solve puzzles if they dreamt about them than those they didn’t dream about.
    • Rachel: “After the volunteers woke up, they were more than twice as likely to solve puzzles they dreamt about…” [07:34]

• Why Do We Dream?

  • Dream expert Robert Stickgold (not interviewed, but work referenced) suggests dreams help process information and spark creativity, beyond just providing entertainment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Laurel Trainor, on innate rhythm:
  “Babies crawl rhythmically. They flail their arms rhythmically. Their heartbeats are rhythmically rhythmic... rhythms are just fundamental to everything…” [03:30]

• Juana Summers, on hunger hormones:
  “And humans have that, too. Right. That’s why I’m hungry right now.” [04:47]

• Regina Barber, on puzzles and sleep:
  “When I was in college, I would dream about difficult quantum mechanics problems, and it turns out it might have helped me.” [05:59]

• Rachel Carlson, on dreaming and problem-solving:
  “After the volunteers woke up, they were more than twice as likely to solve puzzles they dreamt about compared to puzzles they didn’t remember dreaming about.” [07:34]

• Robert Stickgold (as summarized):
  Dreams are “…a catalyst for processing information and inducing creativity.” [08:11]

• “Scrambled Eggs” reveal:
  The puzzle G, E, S, G stood for “scrambled eggs”—because the letters spell “eggs” all mixed up. [08:02]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Baby rhythm perception experiment: 02:13–04:08
• Reptile hunger hormone discovery: 04:08–05:50
• Sleep, dreams & problem-solving study: 05:50–08:32

Tone & Style

Casual, inclusive, and fun. The hosts joke with one another, groan at tricky puzzles, and keep the science accessible, explaining technical details without jargon.

For More

Follow Short Wave on your favorite podcast app for more quick, creative science stories. Find out more about host Juana Summers on "Consider This."