Search
Music
Big Think and the John Templeton Foundation gathered scientists, artists, and storytellers in Los Angeles to explore the power of awe.
The strange, undulating sound of mathematics.
The comedian and musician behind the viral hit “BBL Drizzy” shares the books that shaped his thinking and approach to art.
Spotify's Co-President, CPO and CTO chats with Big Think about the science of discovery, Swedish innovation, C-suite podcasting, and more.
9mins
The Grammy-nominated artist reflects on a life of heartbreak and a future full of hope.
Unlikely Collaborators
If music is a window onto truth, what does screaming reveal?
8mins
What do aliens, apes, and orchestras all have in common? Professor Michael Spitzer explains how they each help us understand the origins of music.
After listening to the same playlist, people from the United Kingdom, the United States, and China reported feeling nearly identical bodily sensations.
6mins
Over 250 million records sold and more than 70 platinum hits later, Jason Derulo sits down with us to talk about goals, insecurities, and why he still doesn’t feel like he’s “made it.”
Unlikely Collaborators
31mins
Filmmaker Godfrey Reggio, rock icon Steve Albini, and comedian Fred Armisen told Kmele how they make sense of the world — and leave their mark on it.
Listening to some songs can cause a powerful physiological response known as "frisson." What is it, and why does it happen?
Music is part of the human experience, which is why some philosophers have written about it. Some had wacky ideas.
Engineer James Clarke liberated John, Paul, George, and Ringo from their mono and stereo straitjackets using algorithms at Abbey Road.
What better explains the prevalence of heavy metal in Scandinavian countries: culture or economy?
Your whole body is part of the instrument.
The Foo Fighters are at the dead center of the map, so all the other bands are happier, sadder, angrier, or hornier.
But make sure you bring the fossegrim the proper offering—or else.
These composers channeled the horror of the Holocaust and Hiroshima while honoring those who lived through it.
It can write 5-minute songs based on short text prompts.
The ability to decode acoustic information from brain activity aids the development of brain-computer interfaces that restore communication in patients who suffer paralysis.
5mins
Expert Michael Spitzer explains how culture can “tune” your musical taste.
7mins
Humans are musical animals four million years in the making, explained by music expert Michael Spitzer.
Most popular songs are about love and heartache. But some great songs — albeit underrated and perhaps a bit weird — are about the cities we love.
We don’t know when or how music was originally invented, but we can now track its evolution across space and time thanks to the Global Jukebox.
When your passion becomes your day job, sometimes the day job becomes a chore.
8mins
The history of music from bone flutes to Beyoncé.
Music and sounds only seem to reduce pain in mice when played at a specific volume.
For centuries, men prevented women from writing music. These classical composers broke with social norms and made their mark on history.
