Sing for Science
Talkhouse
Sing For Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation.
New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.
New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 9, 2022 • 51min
Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse): The Best Room (Mycology with Paul Stamets)
Join host Sing For Science host Matt Whyte in this fungi fantastic episode about psilocybin research! We learn about mushroom properties that can stave off dementia, decrease social ills and hear about Isaac’s experience with UFOs.
Nov 2, 2022 • 56min
Margo Price: Fight to Make It (Abortion Science with Monica Mclemore)
Country singer Margo Price talks about "Fight To Make It" a song on which she teamed up with Mavis Staples and Noise For Now to raise awareness and support for reproductive justice. We talk about Margo's correspondence with Ronnie Spector, her experience advocating for reproductive healthcare in Tennessee and the tragic loss of one of her children in infancy. Dr. Monica Mclemore, nurse-scientist and reproductive healthcare advocate joins us to tell us about the often surprising statistics uncovered by reproductive healthcare research. She was an expert witness in the Supreme Courts Dobbs case and brings an unparalleled level of expertise to the conversation on abortion. This episode was co-produced by Noise For Now.
Oct 26, 2022 • 53min
Nick Kroll: Changes (Puberty Science with Emily Breidbart)
Actor/Comedian Nick Kroll talks about his hit show on Netflix Big Mouth and about his personal experience with delayed puberty with NYU Langone Pediatric EndocrinologistDr. Emily Breidbart. We talk about puberty disorders, how to treat them, transgender medicine, endocrinology, comedy, and more!
Oct 19, 2022 • 42min
mxmtoon: Florida (Ethnobotany/Plant Medicine with Cassandra Quave)
Singer/songwriter and apartment plant enthusiast mxmtoon talks about the loss and sense of place that inspired her song "Florida" with ethnobotanist, Dr Cassandra Quave. Dr. Quave is the author of "The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest For Nature's Next Best Medicines". We cover plant identification, traditional medicine and how to talk to your plants.
Oct 12, 2022 • 56min
Arlo Guthrie: Alice’s Restaurant (Nutritional Anthropology with Ellen Messer)
Arlo Guthrie talks about the lyrics to the 1967 anti-war masterpiece, “Alice’s Restaurant” - we talk at length about the 1960s and being Woody Guthrie’s son. Tufts University Nutritional Anthropologist Dr. Ellen Messer talks about her awakening as a scholar-activist in the 1960s and the foundations of her term “food wars” which describes the relationship between food scarcity and armed conflict.
Oct 5, 2022 • 57min
Jeff Tweedy (Wilco): Less Than You Think (Consciousness/Psychology with Shimon Edelman)
Less Than You Think: Demystifying the Hard Problem of Consciousness with Computational Psychology.Jeff Tweedy talks about the lyrics to "Less Than You Think" from Wilco's 2004 Grammy Winning Album, A Ghost is Born. We discuss creativity vis a vis his book "How To Write One Song", spirituality with a capital S, atheism, 9/11 and everything in between. Cornell University computational psychologist, Dr. Shimon Edelman weighs in on the lyrics with his theory of consciousness: that human consciousness is entirely the product of a virtual reality simulation created by our brains.
Mar 23, 2022 • 26min
Kilo Kish: New Tricks (Neuroplasticity with Wendy Suzuki)
Recorded Live in Brooklyn, NY at the 2022 On Air Fest. Kish and NYU neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki discuss brain plasticity, memory formation and more!
Mar 16, 2022 • 51min
Pat Metheny: Bright Size Life (Neuroscience of Improvisation with Charles Limb)
Jazz Guitar Legend Pat Metheny and neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Limb discuss the neuroscience of improvisation, language and music connection, freestyle rap brain scans, early career experiences, the influence of Jim Hall, and deep musical communication.
Mar 9, 2022 • 54min
Davoné Tines: The Black Clown (Voter Suppression/Data Science with Todd Hendricks)
Join Opera phenom Davóne Tines and data scientist and civil rights activist Todd Hendricks for a discussion about fighting gerrymandering in the courts with math and data science.
Mar 2, 2022 • 43min
Ruth B: Spaceship (Rocket Science with Christina Hernandez)
Canadian pop star Ruth B and NASA engineer Christina Hernandez talk rocket science, space travel and life on Mars.
