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
Jul 2
A magical world at the ocean’s edge
In coastal California, researchers grapple with potentially losing a landscape they love. Guests: Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences; Peter Roopnarine, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology & Geology at t ... Show More
38m 42s
Jun 30
Ruff translation
We love our pets. And think we understand them. Are we fooling ourselves? Guests: ⁠Alexandra Horowitz⁠, dog cognition researcher at Barnard College; ⁠Holly Molinaro⁠, animal welfare scientist; ⁠Jared Martin⁠, filmmaker and dog owner For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/ ... Show More
35m 47s
Jun 25
Sick of “morning” sickness
If pregnant people need to eat for two, why do so many of us puke morning, noon, and night? Guests: Marlena Fejzo, Ph.D., geneticist, and Research Director at the HER Foundation. For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com ... Show More
33m 40s
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
May 2024
What the Hell Is at the Edge of Space?
With the powers of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists discovered some super weird things in the early Universe, and it's making some nerds question our theory of everything. This story comes to us from our friends at Unexplainable at Vox Media. Find Unexplainable’s transc ... Show More
21m 59s
Jun 2023
Frontiers of Food Science: Do Sound and Color Affect Flavor?
Experimental psychologist Charles Spence introduces us to gastrophysics, the science of how the brain melds color, smell and sound to create powerful multisensory taste experiences. Plus, Nicola Twilley investigates the rise of alternative sugars; Alex Aïnouz goes on a hunt for t ... Show More
51m 4s
Feb 2024
This is What Language Means
Listen to Episode No.7 of All We Mean, a Special Focus of this podcast. All We Mean is an ongoing discussion and debate about how we mean and why. The guests on today's episode are Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis, professors at the University of Illinois. In this episode of the Focu ... Show More
58m 2s
May 2024
Why Ketchup Is Magic, and More on Delights of Taste from "Life in Five Senses"
Listen to a bonus episode featuring an excerpt from Gretchen Rubin's latest bestselling book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. This excerpt comes from the chapter Tasting: The Taste of the Tea and the Cake, or Why Ketchup is ... Show More
37m 48s
Jun 2024
3212: Intuitive Awareness by Shana Olmstead on Personal Development & Self Improvement
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com.Episode 3212:Shana Olmstead sheds light on the empowering aspect of intuition in her article on ShanaOlmstead.com. She elaborates on ... Show More
9m 53s
Nov 2023
Developing Your Clairaudience, Sound Healing, and Frequency Illusion [PART 2]
Rebecca returns with her characteristic wit and authenticity to further discuss the 7 signs of clairaudience introduced in the previous episode and emphasizes that anyone can develop these abilities. Rebecca delves into the importance of embracing the sounds in the physical world ... Show More
30m 56s
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
Nov 2023
Episode 61: Lost in the Fog
After a unique near-death experience during heart surgery, a woman named Jamie grapples with the trauma of what she went through. Having experienced weeks of time in what she describes as "the fog". Subscribe to Otherworld on Patreon for exclusive content and bonus interviewsChec ... Show More
49m 50s