Ts Podcast: Consilience

Stridulatory apparatus of Permostridulus, from Figure 1B in Béthoux, Olivier, André Nel, Jean Lapeyrie, and Georges Gand. “The Permostridulidae fam. n. (Panorthoptera), a new enigmatic insect family from the Upper Permian of France.” European Journal of Entomology 100 (2003): 581‒86.

Scientists at the University of Geneva are probing the effect of music on brain development in infants who are born prematurely. Their results indicate that listening to music through headphones rather than just hearing ambient noise of the NICU may prompt the babies’ brains to develop more like those of full-term babies. Researchers partnered with an award-winning composer to create a series of soundscapes based on the instruments the infants preferred when they were waking up, falling asleep, or alert and active in their incubators. CREDIT: STEPHANE SIZONENKO

Scientists at the University of Geneva are probing the effect of music on brain development in infants who are born prematurely. Their results indicate that listening to music through headphones rather than just hearing ambient noise of the NICU may prompt the babies’ brains to develop more like those of full-term babies. Researchers partnered with an award-winning composer to create a series of soundscapes based on the instruments the infants preferred when they were waking up, falling asleep, or alert and active in their incubators. CREDIT: STEPHANE SIZONENKO

Scientists at the University of Geneva are probing the effect of music on brain development in infants who are born prematurely. Their results indicate that listening to music through headphones rather than just hearing ambient noise of the NICU may prompt the babies’ brains to develop more like those of full-term babies. Researchers partnered with an award-winning composer to create a series of soundscapes based on the instruments the infants preferred when they were waking up, falling asleep, or alert and active in their incubators. CREDIT: STEPHANE SIZONENKO

Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) chicks have been shown to alter their development after hearing alarm calls from adults outside the egg that signal the presence of predators such as mink, according to researchers in Spain. CREDIT: ALBERTO VELANDO AND JOSE NOGUERA

Researchers in Australia first noted in 2014 that zebra finches produce a form of vocal panting when exposed to heat. Although they sometimes make the call in the presence of other adults or when alone, they most often do it when incubating their young, leading researchers to suspect that the parents may be feeding information to their developing embryos. CREDIT Mylene Mariette

Scientists at Geneva University are probing the effect of music on brain development in infants that are born prematurely and housed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). To do so, they partnered with an award-winning composer to create soundscapes based on instruments that the babies liked most—namely the harp, snake flute, and bells. Photo credit: STEPHANE SIZONENKO

After 17,000 years, the oldest known conch shell horn has made music once again, playing three notes close to C, D, and C sharp. Image credit: Hypothetical representation of the conch horn in use. Credit: G. Tosello Audio credit: Player : J.M. Court (cornist). Sound recorder : J. Tardieu. Fritz et al., Sci. Adv. 2021; 7 : eabe9510

Humpback Whale Call by The Scientist

East Greenland Narwhals by The Scientist

A killer whale call is played 10 seconds into the recording, when a pilot whale responds by vigorously moving (splashing sounds).

Bowhead Whale Song by The Scientist

Gulf Corvina by The Scientist

Ben Henry explores the science behind a deep-fried cancer scare and traditional treatments that may shrink tumors.

Ben Henry delves into the still-unanswered questions of where our musical preferences come from and what makes synesthetes tick.

A conversation with plant biologists on the age-old dispute over the similarities and differences between plants and animals.