The Song She Heard Before She Was Born

In 2013, researchers at the University of Helsinki asked expectant mothers to play the same melody repeatedly during the final trimester of pregnancy. After the babies were born, the team monitored their brain activity while playing two versions of the song — the familiar one and a slightly altered version. Every infant's brain responded differently to the original melody, recognizing it, reaching for it neurologically, the way a hand reaches for something it has held before.…