The Mystery of Beauty

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media

Science, Arts, Social Sciences, Performing Arts

4.6 • 39.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Think about the last time you were struck by a gorgeous painting in a museum, or heard a song that brought you to tears. All of us know what it’s like to be stopped in our tracks by a beautiful sight. But scientists are still puzzling over why this is the case. What’s the point of beauty? Why is it seemingly so important to us? This week on the show, neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee explains the function of beauty in our daily lives. Then, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek describes how beauty served a purpose in some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of our time.

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0:00.0	This is Hidden Brain.
0:02.0	In December 1968, the crew of NASA's Apollo 8 spacecraft became the first human beings to orbit the moon.
0:13.0	The astronauts on board, Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders
0:18.0	had a stunning view of Earth rising over the lunar horizon.
0:22.0	That Christmas Eve, a televised broadcast of the event
0:27.0	became the most watched TV program at the time.
0:30.0	Oh my God, look at that picture over there.
0:32.0	This is the earth coming up.
0:34.0	Wow, that pretty.
0:35.0	Williamandas captured the moment in a photograph
0:40.0	that came to be known as Earthrise.
0:43.4	It showed our planet in a way people had never before seen.
0:47.0	A vivid blue and white orb
0:49.4	suspended against the vastness of space.
0:58.0	Earthrise wasn't just a beautiful photograph. It became a symbol of the environmental movement
1:01.0	and had a profound impact on how people view our planet.
1:05.4	Beautiful but fragile and deserving of our protection.
1:11.2	The picture inspired the launch of Earth Day.
1:13.0	It's a global movement that is still around decades later.
1:16.0	It involves billions of people around the world.
1:19.0	All of this, inspired by a simple beautiful image.
1:24.0	This week on Hidden Brain,
	...

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