While we’re on the subject of eternal questions (cf ice cream van music), here’s an interesting piece of research from the boffins at MIT, who’ve managed to isolate the area of the brain that helps a young bird transform random chirps into trilling melodies. I’m not sure how much relevance these findings have to human minstrelsy, but I have no doubt that someone will a develop a gene therapy that will raise no end of controversy on Australian Idol 2010.