We listen to music with our ears – and that amazing electric meatball between our ears: our brain! But why do our brains find some music scary?
We’re born with some fears baked into our brains, because our ancestors thought they were scary too! That’s why sudden loud noises startle us sometimes. But there’s another reason certain sounds freak us out – we’ve ... Show More
Jan 2023
Filled with Fear and Phobias (Inspired by White Noise)
This week on Know It All, Greg Brown and Mitch Moffit from AsapSCIENCE look at why we like getting scared and what exactly happens in our brains when we experience fear. Inspired by the movie White Noise, they also look deeper into just how common phobias are, and why humans have ... Show More
11m 41s
Oct 2024
Where are all the scary songs?
It’s the spookiest time of the year; Halloween is right around the corner. But unlike the winter holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah, Halloween seems to lack a defining canon of scary music. There’s, of course, “Monster Mash,” and “Ghostbusters,” but those songs aren’t actually ... Show More
30m 24s
Jun 2022
Relearning Boléro: How our brains rewrite the sounds we hear
In the same way that optical illusions can trick our eyes, auditory illusions can trick our ears. This raises a serious question: what is hearing, and how much of it is actually made up by our brains? In this story from the Unexplainable podcast, we explore how our brains create ... Show More
38m 7s
Oct 2021
BOO! The Science of Scary with Mathias Clasen & Heather Berlin
<p>Why do we like being scared? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the haunting effects of horror and recreational fear with horror scholar and author, Mathias Clasen, and neuroscientist, Heather Berlin, PhD. </p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons c ... Show More
55m 30s