logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
41m 14s

Making Sense: How sound becomes hearing

Vox
About this episode

In the same way optical illusions trick our eyes, audio illusions can trick our ears. This raises a fundamental question: What is hearing, and how much of it is made up by our brains?

This is the first episode of our new six-part series, Making Sense.

You can find more of Diana Deutsch’s auditory illusions at https://bit.ly/3Mdh6H4, Matthew Winn's research at http://www.mattwinn.com/Research.html, and Mike Chorost's writing at https://michaelchorost.com

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

We read every email.

Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Oct 8
Composing chaos
Terry Riley's "In C" is one of the most influential pieces of music of the last century...but you'll never hear it the same way twice. Guest: Evan Ziporyn, composer, clarinetist, and producer of "In C" For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fo ... Show More
27m 56s
Oct 6
Does Tylenol cause autism?
Donald Trump and RFK Jr. seem convinced that it does. But our friends at Science Vs say the data is far more complicated. Guest: Meryl Horn, senior producer at Science Vs For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... Show More
26m 56s
Oct 1
Real-life zombies
Zombies might seem like the stuff of horror movies, but there are lots of examples of parasites taking over bugs’ bodies and bending them to their will. Guest: Mindy Weisberger, author of Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control For show transcrip ... Show More
26m 56s
Recommended Episodes
May 2013
Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies
Ventriloquism: The Science of Dummies: It's time to rediscover ventriloquism, the surprisingly deft art of illusion that relies on a keen sense of comic timing and obsessive technique from the performer, as well as a buy-in into the illusion from the audience member. Why do we fa ... Show More
30m 25s
Apr 2024
How do my ears sense direction?
How do we know where a sound is coming from? Another chance to hear this ear-opening episode, exploring a question from CrowdScience listener Chiletso. One day, he heard his son bounce a ball and instantly knew the direction it was travelling. How? Anand Jagatia sets out to disco ... Show More
32m 44s
Jan 2024
How to Keep Time: Time Tips From the Universe
Time can feel like a subjective experience—different at different points in our lives. It’s also a real, measurable thing. The universe may be too big to fully comprehend, but what we do know could help inform the ways we approach our understanding of ourselves, our purpose, and ... Show More
36m 24s
Feb 2024
The Truth About That Voice In Your Head And What They Don’t Tell You About Starting A Podcast
Welcome back to The Journey Podcast! This episode is all about our thought patterns, how setting expectations lead to disappointment, and how hard it is to actually grow a podcast today. Magic Mind https://www.magicmind.com/JANthejourney DISCOUNT CODE THEJOURNEY20 APPLE https://p ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2024
Say More - Ira Glass on Is This It?
Ira Glass has created over 800 episodes of the genre-defining radio show and podcast This American Life. Each week on the show he weaves together stories around a central narrative theme and he never shies away from the big hard questions. But after almost 30 years of producing t ... Show More
49m 16s
Feb 2024
Anomalie: Tranquility Potion with Ruth Connell (Sample Episode)
Ruth Connell (Rowena from Supernatural) lends her voice to this new podcast, made for fans of fantasy and meditation. Please consider listening to this sample episode.In the violet light of late morning and you come upon a seemingly abandoned witch’s cottage. Inside you’ll find a ... Show More
30m 45s
Sep 2023
Journeying With Throat Chakra Blockages + Powerful Practices
Text me your thoughts/questionsHello Magical Human & welcome back 🪷🫧 In this episode, I get vulnerable with you and share what I have been learning about my body and more specifically, throat chakra and its impact on your life. I share my deeper encounters with the Chakra syste ... Show More
23m 53s
Aug 2018
Dr. Daniel Siegel | Wheel of Awareness
Professor of psychiatry and NYT bestselling author Dr. Daniel Siegel talks with me about the mind and his new book Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence.  Show love by rating the show on iTunes! It makes the source of being happy and helps bring more guests you’d like to he ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2024
Relisten: Shame-Proof Your Parenting Mercedes Samudio [450]
We have all experienced the judgmental looks and unsolicited advice from others about our parenting. Why does our society shame parents, who are simply trying their best to raise children? Today, I talk with Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist, speaker, and bestsel ... Show More
54m 19s
Feb 2024
Meditation: You Teach People How to Treat You
Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> http ... Show More
10m 23s