Brian Cox

Brian Cox

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George Saunders, writer

The American writer George Saunders won the 2017 Booker Prize with his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. It’s a moving exploration of the grief of President Lincoln as he mourns his 11-year-old son Willie – and it’s voiced by the weird and wonderful spirits trapped in the cemete ...  Show more

Penny Woolcock, film director

The writer and film-maker Penny Woolcock can’t be pigeonholed: she’s worked as a director at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and made a film about warring drug gangs on the streets of Birmingham.A passion for storytelling has driven her career, along with a rebellious streak, ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

David Sulzer, "Music, Math, and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music" (Columbia UP, 2021)
New Books in Music

Why does a clarinet play at lower pitches than a flute? What does it mean for sounds to be in or out of tune? How are emotions carried by music? Do other animals perceive sound like we do? How might a musician use math to come up with new ideas? This book offers a lively explorat ...  Show more

Music and Critical Illness
Critical Matters

This episode, Dr. Sergio Zanotti discusses music and critical illness and explores the topic through the lens of his guest – Andrew Schulman. Andrew is the first musician to be accepted as a professional Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) member. He is a member of the SCCM ...  Show more

David Byrne on How Music Connects Us
The Science of Happiness

Music helped former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne come out of his shell and connect with others—and research shows he's not alone. We explore the science behind how music shapes our social lives.

Summary: Musician and artist David Byrne reflects on how music opened ...

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Are we losing the ability to form our own musical taste?
Nights

Thanks to music streaming, many people now have millions of tunes at their fingertips. But are platforms like Spotify leading us to choose convenience over cultivating our own distinct musical taste? The ability to effortlessly skip a song by clicking 'next' onscreen devalues the ...  Show more