Video shows babies 'sing' along to music inside the womb
In a scientific first, a study has produced incredible video of unborn babies 'singing' along to orchestral music while still in the womb.
The study, led by Dr Marisa Lopez-Teijon of the Institut Marques in Barcelona, has shown babies are able to detect in the womb at just 16 weeks - a scientific first.
Previously it was believed babies in the womb could only hear sounds at 18 weeks.
The video shows foetuses responding to music by moving their mouth and tongue 'as if they were trying to speak or sing', Dr Lopez-Teijon said.
Music was transmitted via a speaker inserted into the vagina to conduct the study, a technique which could have wider applications, namely to determine foetal deafness at a much earlier stage for parents.
Using the speaker in this way "stimulates the primary brain circuits involved in communication," researchers noted.
"On hearing music, the fetus (sic) responds with movements similar to vocalisation, which is the step prior to singing and speaking."
The response is different for each foetus, with different response levels each time the music is played, researchers said.
However, nearly 50 per cent of foetuses reacted with a striking movement, opening their jaw very wide and sticking out their tongue "as far as it would go".
The study found the unborn babies' incredible reaction was specific to hearing music, with no reactions being recorded when standard sound vibrations equivalent to a loud conversation were transmitted intravaginally.
"Our hypothesis [for this] is that different brain circuits are activated," researchers said.
The importance of talking to babies from the moment they are born to promote neurological stimulation is widely known, the study said.
"Now we have the amazing opportunity to do this much sooner, which is a huge advance," researchers noted.
