The Squishy, Slimey Science Of ASMR

Healthy forests help combat climate change, provide humans with drinking water and even improve mental and physical health. But it’s hard to imagine an entire forest in the middle of a big city. That’s where micro-forests come into play — public forests on a smaller scale, filled ...  Show more

What happens behind the scenes of a dinosaur exhibit? Short Wave host Regina Barber got to find out … by taking a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. In the museum’s basement, she talked to a paleobiologist, checked out a farmland fossil find and even to ...  Show more

Have you heard of ASMR? Whispery, clicky, crinkly videos are massive on YouTube - racking up millions of views. The idea is that these sounds elicit a certain tingly, calming sensation in some people. So what is ASMR and what does the science tell us about it? Is it real … or pse ...  Show more

ASMR is huge. People say these videos of someone whispering or making soft sounds can make them feel all tingly inside, and even help them feel calm and less anxious. So, what’s going on here? We talk to scientists who have looked into what’s happening in our bodies and brains wh ...  Show more

Hannah Fry mixes a mojito. This ASMR recording accompanies the episode of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry on the science of ASMR. Listen to that first, then grab some headphones and let us know if it gives you the brain tingles by emailing curiouscases@bbc.co.uk. 

Shhhh! Some of us are listening intently to a certain tone, one that sends waves of pleasure down our spine. It's called autonomous sensory meridian response. Robert and Julie explore, and while they're at it, they'll find out if whispering exists among any non-human primates. ...