Sing for Science
Talkhouse
Sing For Science is a science and music podcast produced with Talkhouse where musicians talk to scientists about science as it connects to their most famous songs. Created and hosted by New York musician, Matt Whyte, the podcast’s goal is to increase science literacy for as many people as possible by reaching a variety of different musicians’ fan bases. Listeners come to the show through their love of music and leave with a new piece of knowledge. Science literacy and respect for expertise are perhaps more vital now than ever before. The show’s chief tenet is that a more science and scientific process literate society can only contribute towards greater support for more fair, evidence-based policy in government. Sing For Science is listener supported; please contribute today at singforscience.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 23, 2022 • 43min
Rivers Cuomo (Weezer): Come Undone (Computer Programming with Guido Van Rossum)
Rock icon Rivers Cuomo goes deep on coding talk with Python computer language creator and programming icon, Guido Van Rossum. We talk about the history of The Sweater Song, coding vs songwriting, the history of Python and much, much more!
Nov 16, 2022 • 42min
Alec Benjamin: Dopamine Addict (Addiction Science with Anne Lembke)
Singer/Songwriter Alec Benjamin talks about his song about social media addiction with Stanford Professor and MD, Dr. Anna Lembke, author of The NY Times bestseller, Dopamine Nation. Tune in to hear about the surprising and fascinating research about the relationship between pain and pleasure in our brains, the prescription to combat addiction and more!
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.
