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The Naked Scientists Podcast

The Sound of Music

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Natural Sciences, Science, Science Radio, Naked Scientists, Health & Fitness, Engineering, Medicine, Technology, Life Sciences

4.6958 Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2006

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week we explore the science of sound including the mathematics of music and the geometry of jazz with mathematicians Tim Gowers, from Cambridge University, and Robin Wilson from the Open University. We also get to the bottom of why helium makes your voice go all squeaky, we nail a crook by using the sound of his voice in an audio line up, and Kirsty MacDougall explains where accents come from. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0

Stripping down science, the naked scientists.

0:06.0

Hello, welcome to this week's edition of The Naked Scientists with me, Chris Smith, and with

0:11.6

Dr. Catani. Hello, good evening.

0:14.3

Now this week, find out how scientists have invented a genuine thinking cap that can boost your

0:18.6

memory whilst you sleep.

0:20.4

Also, how to repair the retina.

0:21.8

British researchers have found out how to transplant cells into a damaged retina to restore vision,

0:26.0

and we'll also be hearing why you might be a bit more like a sea urchin than you first thought.

0:30.0

Also this week we'll be exploring the science of the sound of music

0:34.2

including answering this age-old party trick.

0:37.2

Why your voice sounds funny on helium.

0:39.7

We'll be finding out what jazz and and mathematics and music have in common

0:44.2

with the help of Cambridge jazz musician

0:46.0

and mathematician, multitalined, Mr Tim Gowers,

0:48.8

who's in the studio,

0:49.9

and the Open Universities Robin Wilson.

0:52.1

We'll also be hearing about a sounds new way to catch criminals which is using an audio lineup

0:56.8

Quite literally researchers now have some clever tricks up their sleeves which enable them to analyze voices and

1:01.8

Cambridge University's Kirstie McDougal's here

1:04.3

to show us how to what works.

1:05.3

And we want you to have a go too,

1:06.5

because in this week's kitchen science,

...

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