Feature

  1. Your brain on music

    Music lights up almost every area of the brain, which shouldn’t be a surprise since it makes people tap their feet, encourages the recollection of vivid memories and has the potential to lighten the mood. Around the outside 1. Prefrontal cortex: This brain region plays a role in the creation, satisfaction and violation of expectations. […]

    By Science News

  2. Songs from the Stone Age

    No one knows for sure whether music played a key role in human evolution or came about as a kind of ear candy. But there are several scientifically inspired proposals for the origins of music, some included below. Da ya think I’m sexy?  Charles Darwin, an avid music fan, suggested in 1871 that humans’ tunes […]

    By Bruce Bower

  3. Evidence of ancient roots

    Though early hominids may have made sweet sounds by banging sticks and stones together, the oldest distinguishable instrument dates to 40,000 years ago.  A flute made from vulture bone (shown) and others made from mammoth ivory have been found in Hohle Fels cave near Ulm, Germany, and date from 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. Holes […]

    By Elizabeth Quill

  4. Music of the hemispheres

    Playing instruments gives brains a boost.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg

  5. Take two stanzas and call me in the morning

    From poets to politicians, people have long described music as medicine for the heart and soul. Now scientists are taking a literal look at such musings, investigating music as a means to alleviate pain and enhance recovery. Though some studies are still in the early stages, your favorite soundtrack may one day accompany a prescription. […]

    By Rachel Ehrenberg

  6. A mind for music

    Infancy’s Symphony | Photo by Carey Wolinsky Read features from the special edition Articles in A mind for music. | Go Download a PDF of the special edition Exclusive for Science News subscribers.Download Download PDF | Subscribe There are very few activities for which your birthday suit and a three-piece suit are equally appropriate attire. […]

    By Elizabeth Quill

  7. Nature’s recourse

    How plants and animals fight back when deals go sour.

    By Susan Milius

  8. Beneath that blazing facade

    Researchers revamp ideas about what’s in the sun.

    By Alexandra Witze

  9. The incredible shrinking solar cell

    With lilliputian collectors, almost anything could be sun-powered.

    By Janet Raloff

  10. Safety in Numbers

    Mathematics offers innovative weapons for fighting terrorism.

    By Laura Sanders

  11. Enzymes Exposed

    Clearer views of the cell’s movers and shakers threaten a century-old mainstay of biology.

    By Lisa Grossman

  12. All Patterns Great and Small

    Researchers uncover the origins of creatures’ stripes and spots.

    By Tina Hesman Saey