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Music - 27.02.2024
Pythagoras was wrong: there are no universal musical harmonies
Pythagoras was wrong: there are no universal musical harmonies
The tone and tuning of musical instruments has the power to manipulate our appreciation of harmony, new research shows. The findings challenge centuries of Western music theory and encourage greater experimentation with instruments from different cultures. There are many more kinds of harmony out there Peter Harrison According to the Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, 'consonance' - a pleasant-sounding combination of notes - is produced by special relationships between simple numbers such as 3 and 4.

Music - 04.05.2023
UK weather conditions influence music success in the markets
Music is an integral part of our daily lives, but what makes a song successful in the competitive music market remains a mystery to even the most experienced experts. A new study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, suggests that environmental factors such as weather conditions and seasonal patterns can play a significant role in shaping listener preferences and choices, potentially impacting a song's success in the market.

Music - Psychology - 02.12.2022
Playing the piano boosts brain processing power and helps lift the blues - study
A randomised control trial led by Bath psychologists shows the positive effects learning to play music for just a few weeks has on cognitive abilities. A new study published by researchers at the University of Bath demonstrates the positive impact learning to play a musical instrument has on the brain's ability to process sights and sounds, and shows how it can also help to lift a blue mood.

Physics - Music - 20.09.2021
The nanophotonics orchestra presents: Twisting to the light of nanoparticles
The nanophotonics orchestra presents: Twisting to the light of nanoparticles
Physicists at the University of Bath observe a new physical effect in chiral (twisted) nanoparticles. Last updated on Thursday 23 September 2021 Physics researchers at the University of Bath discover a new physical effect relating to the interactions between light and twisted materials - an effect that is likely to have implications for emerging new nanotechnologies in communications, nanorobotics and ultra-thin optical components.

Health - Music - 20.08.2020
Singing is no more risky than talking finds new COVID-19 study
The performing arts has been badly affected during the coronavirus pandemic with live musical performances cancelled for many months because singing was identified as a potential "higher risk" activity. New collaborative research has shown that singing does not produce very substantially more respiratory particles than when speaking at a similar volume.

Environment - Music - 29.11.2019
Sounds of the past give new hope for coral reef restoration
Young fish can be drawn to degraded coral reefs by loudspeakers playing the sounds of healthy reefs, according to new research published today [29 November] . An international team of scientists from the UK's Universities of Exeter and Bristol, and Australia's James Cook University and Australian Institute of Marine Science, say this "acoustic enrichment" could be a valuable tool in helping to restore damaged coral reefs.

Music - 30.10.2019
Name that tune: Brain takes just 100 to 300 milliseconds to recognise familiar music
The human brain can recognise a familiar song within 100 to 300 milliseconds, highlighting the deep hold favourite tunes have on our memory, a UCL study finds. Anecdotally the ability to recall popular songs is exemplified in game shows such as 'Name That Tune', where contestants can often identify a piece of music in just a few seconds.

Music - 23.10.2019
Zebrafish discovery throws new light on human hearing disorders
A study of the genetic make-up of zebrafish has provided brand new insights into the cause of congenital hearing disorders in humans. A team including scientists from Cardiff University has identified how specific genes can dictate the patterns of the tiny cells - so-called hair cells - within our ears that allow us to hear and process sounds.

Music - 06.09.2019
As light as a lemon: How the right smell can help with a negative body image
The scent of a lemon could help people feel better about their body image, new findings from University of Sussex research has revealed. In a new study from the university's Sussex Computer-Human Interaction (SCHI) Lab, people feel thinner and lighter when they experienced the scent of a lemon. The research, carried out in collaboration with researchers at the University College of London Interaction Centre (UCLIC) and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), also revealed people contrastingly felt thicker and heavier when they smelt vanilla.

Music - 06.08.2019
Researchers create first-ever personalised sound projector with £10 webcam
Researchers create first-ever personalised sound projector with £10 webcam A University of Sussex research team have demonstrated the first sound projector that can track a moving individual and deliver an acoustic message as they move, to a high-profile tech and media conference in LA. Dr Gianluca Memoli and his colleagues demonstrated what they believe to be the world's first sound projector with an autozoom objective in a talk at the 46th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics & Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH 2019) this week.

Music - 26.04.2019
Music and mindful music listening may improve stroke recovery
Music and mindful music listening may help people who have suffered strokes recover their impaired cognitive abilities more effectively, new research suggests. In a new paper published in the International Journal of Stroke, researchers and clinicians from the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and East Anglia and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde report on the outcomes of a study which aimed to investigate the effects of combining music listening and mindfulness techniques on recovery after a stroke.

Environment - Music - 05.04.2019
Music consumption has unintended economic and environmental costs
Music consumption has unintended economic and environmental costs, according to new research published today (Monday 8 April 2019) in the run-up to worldwide Record Store Day. The price consumers have been willing to pay for listening to recorded music has never been lower, while the environmental impact of listening to music has never been higher, researchers have found.

Music - 23.01.2019
Famous freak wave recreated in lab mirrors Hokusai’s ’Great Wave’
A team of researchers based at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh have recreated for the first time the famous Draupner freak wave measured in the North Sea in 1995. The Draupner wave was one of the first confirmed observations of a freak wave in the ocean; it was observed on the 1st of January 1995 in the North Sea by measurements made on the Draupner Oil Platform.

Music - Life Sciences - 13.11.2018
Resonant mechanism discovery could inspire ultra-thin acoustic absorbers
New research led by academics at the University of Bristol has discovered that the scales on moth wings vibrate and can absorb the sound frequencies used by bats for echolocation (biological sonar). The finding could help researchers develop bioinspired thin and lightweight resonant sound absorbers.

Music - 15.10.2018
Lift off for world-first ultrasound levitation that bends around barriers
Researchers at the University of Sussex have become the first in the world to develop technology which can bend sound waves around an obstacle and levitate an object above it. SoundBender, developed by Professor Sriram Subramanian, Dr Gianluca Memoli and Dr Diego Martinez Plasencia at the University of Sussex, is an interface capable of producing dynamic self-bending beams that enable both levitation of small objects and tactile feedback around an obstacle.

Life Sciences - Music - 07.09.2018
Beatboxers’ and guitarists’ brains react differently to hearing music
The brains of professional beatboxers and guitarists respond to music differently when compared to each other and non-musicians, finds a new UCL-led study. The study, published in Cerebral Cortex and funded by Wellcome, sheds light on how learning and making music can affect mental processes. The researchers found that the area of the brain that controls mouth movements was particularly active when beatboxers listened to a previously unheard beatboxing track, while the 'hand area' of the guitarists' brains showed heightened activity when they listened to guitar playing.

Environment - Music - 18.05.2017
University of Birmingham backs Chinese orchestra’s first concert in Britain
A major new decade-long experiment to study the impact of climate and environmental change on woodlands is launching today. The Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment at the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) will assess the impact of raised carbon dioxide (CO2) levels on whole forest ecosystems by artificially raising the CO2 level around patches of mature woodland.

Music - 21.03.2017
Ambassador delivers keynote talk to launch Birmingham’s Brazil Week
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have shown that increasing the levels of active vitamin D can help to optimise muscle strength in humans. The team hope that the findings will inform the design of future supplementation studies, and begin to answer questions as to the optimal levels of vitamin D required for healthy muscles.