Chimpanzees have been found to drum with non-random timing, revealing rhythmic abilities that differ between subspecies. The study, published in Current Biology, analyzed drumming patterns of 47 chimpanzees across six populations and found that western chimpanzees drum with evenly spaced intervals, while eastern chimpanzees have a swing-like beat. The researchers suggest that these rhythmic differences may be associated with societal differences or the need to share detailed information. The findings push back the evolutionary origins of music by several million years, suggesting that the basic building blocks of rhythm were present in our last common ancestor with chimpanzees.