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Biology
A dazzling slice-by-slice exploration of wood exposes hidden patterns and hues
2 minutes
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Music
As a pianist strikes a chord, visualisations of his notes appear in real time
5 minutes
essay
Music
Give the drummer some
As AI drum machines embrace humanising imperfections, what does this mean for ‘real’ drummers and the soul of music?
Jack Stilgoe
essay
Music
Enter the conductrice
Will a new generation of women on the podium perpetuate the tyrannical charisma of their male predecessors or overturn it?
Xenia Hanusiak
essay
Global history
Black King of Songs
His communism brought the great American singer Paul Robeson trouble in the US, but helped make him a hero in China
Gao Yunxiang
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Ecology and environmental sciences
Yo-Yo Ma performs a work for cello in the woods, accompanied by a birdsong chorus
4 minutes
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Music
Nick ponders the life of the mysterious girl whose used CDs shaped his teenage years
5 minutes
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Music
Before the Beatles dropped acid, a BBC workshop was creating far-out sounds
6 minutes
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Subcultures
Bad puns, regrettable costumes, and other joys of collecting kitschy album art
13 minutes
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Stories and literature
A musician and a storyteller collaborate in a daily duet of words and music
5 minutes
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Dance and theatre
Absorb the infectious rhythms of Setapa – a joyous dance from southern Africa
7 minutes
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Nature and landscape
Honouring the caribou, in dreams and memories from an Innu singer-songwriter
5 minutes
essay
Music
Songs of conquest
From Tallis’s choral beauty to the unnerving bells of Mexico City, early modern power created a whole new world of sound
Thomas Irvine & Christopher J Smith
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Biography and memoir
Meet the Liverbirds! The bittersweet tale of Liverpool’s all-female answer to the Beatles
16 minutes
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Music
Take in the sounds of silence via this unique performance of John Cage’s infamous piece
5 minutes
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Race and ethnicity
Seeking authenticity in a Chinatown built for tourists and Hollywood movies
23 minutes
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Physics
Water, salt and music form a mesmerising visualisation of sound waves
7 minutes
essay
Music
Music and sex
A song can take you on a journey of ecstatic arousal. Is music imitating sex, inviting it, or something else altogether?
Michael Spitzer
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Animals and humans
A bluesy ballad tells the story of Old Bet, the first circus elephant in the US
8 minutes
essay
Music
Maestro of more than music
Look beneath the surface of Bach’s music and you will find a fascinating hidden world of numerology and cunning craft
Milton Mermikides
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Cognition and intelligence
No, Mozart isn’t a brain hack for babies – here’s how music really affects intelligence
5 minutes
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Home
The rhythms of rural Thailand, where both food and music are sourced from the ground
15 minutes
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Music
The formidable female rumba group shaking up Cuba’s conservative music scene
20 minutes
essay
Quantum theory
Quantum music
Physics has long looked to harmony to explain the beauty of the Universe. But what if dissonance yields better insights?
Katie McCormick