Via Andrew Sullivan, new research shows that sparrows prefer classical music. This struck me as especially cool since my very first research experiment involved testing more or less the same question on goldfish. I still feel some pride recalling that middle school me figured out triplication and independent metrics (I measured the # of times they changed direction per minute and its response when you tap the bowl. panic meant that the fish was unhappy) without too much supervision.
Has anybody hashed out yet whether publishing a blog post counts as publishing per se? Sure, why not. So without further ado, published for the first time! The music preferences of domestic carp: Classical (Beethoven’s 9th) > 80’s pop (Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads) > classic rock (Start Me Up, Stones) > hard rock (Mr. Brownstone, GnR) > rap (Nightmare on my street, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith). The fish really didn’t like rap. Loudness was controlled by taping down the volume knob. You’ll have to imagine my pre-Excel bar graph.
The CV has already been updated.
craigie
Actually, it’s kinda hard to argue with that fish’s taste.
Who did it vote for in 2000?
RSA
Sounds good to me.
(Now you can add it to the peer-reviewed section.)
Punchy
Mr. Eff…this is most assuredly NOT rap music. If yer Beta had been bumping to some Straight Outta Compton, not only would he have smiled, but he’d a thrown on the red do-rag and slipped on the three-fin ring….
Cinderella Ferret
Classical(Classic Americana): Dust My Broom, Elmore James
Classic Rock: Statesboro Blues, Allman Brothers (Live at Fillmore East)
Hard Rock: War Pigs, Black Sabbath
Country: You Never Even Called Me By My Name, David Allen Coe
Pop: Tell Me Why, The Beatles
Jazz: So What, Miles Davis (as performed on Kind of Blue)
scarshapedstar
Sparrows may like that stuff, but parrots definitely prefer Backstreet Boys.
RSA
I see that they weren’t tested with Beethoven’s Sixth, which is probably a good thing.