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Outside/In

Phallic windchimes and ASMR: the magic of sound

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.71.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, we’re taking your questions on the subject of sound. We talk about tinnitus, “the mind’s ear,” and the celebrity voices we have strong feelings about, from Bob Ross to President Obama, Michael Barbaro to Ira Glass. So strap your earbuds in, we’re going for a ride! What are tintinnabula, and the first wind chimes in the world? What exactly is ASMR, and what makes it feel good? Why does my cat make twitter sounds when she sees birds? Why do frogs sing together around the same tiny pond? If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Does the environment influence the evolution of a language? If we have a “mind’s eye” do we have a “mind’s ear?” What’s tinnitus? Featuring Ilija Dankovic, Craig Richard, Alejandro Vélez, Seán Roberts, Sarah Theodoroff, and Tara Zaugg. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS Check out these 3D models of a tintinnabulum held by the British Museum. The ASMR clips used in this episode are from @CelainesASMR, Coromo Sara. ASMR, @ASMRCrinkle, and @marlenaasmr481. If you want to listen to Craig Richard’s ASMR podcasts, they are Sleep Whispers, and Calm History. Learn more about the effect drier climates might have on language, especially tonal ones, and about the overlap between biodiversity and language diversity. For more information about tinnitus from the VA, check out the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

50 years after Jaws

0:02.1

scared an entire generation out of the water.

0:04.5

I look down.

0:05.9

There was this great big head,

0:07.9

these big white teeth.

0:10.6

Radio Lab is pulling you back in.

0:13.2

It was just like so much fear building

0:15.2

of what's going to come out of that blue.

0:17.2

Listen to swimming with shadows.

0:19.8

A Radio Lab week of sharks.

0:21.4

Anything you dig down on is fascinating to these creatures.

0:26.1

Wherever you get podcasts.

0:30.3

Hey, this is Outside In, a show where curiosity and the natural world collide.

0:34.8

I'm Nate Hedgy.

0:35.8

So just bring me to the subject of Tintanabulum.

0:39.9

What are they? Could you describe them? And, you know, what purpose did they serve in

0:46.7

Roman life? Probably the best peril is our Wyn Chimes.

0:55.2

That's our executive producer, Taylor Quimby, and he's talking to a Serbian

0:59.2

archaeologist of Roman history named Ilya Dancovic.

1:04.0

And they're discussing one of the earliest versions of wind chimes, tin to nabula.

1:10.3

But they were not simply there to decorate or to produce nice sound.

1:16.9

At the heart of the tale of Tintinabula lies the stories of magic and sound.

...

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