MusicMusic InterviewsScience

Sing for Science

Talkhouse

Sing For Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation.

New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.

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21 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 50 min
English

Episodes 21

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Friday · 1 hr 7 min
Kota The Friend: For Colored Boys (Black Aliveness with Kevin Quashie)
For Colored Boys: Imagining a Black World Through the Aliveness of Language
September 3 · 40 min
Jensen McRae: Massachusetts (Place Memory with Christine DeLucia)
Massachusetts: Regionalism, Material Memory and the Stories They Tell
August 20 · 46 min
Sean Ono Lennon: The Golden Egg of Empathy (AI Ethics with Anat Perry and Jason D’Cruz)
The Golden Egg of Empathy: AI Ethics and the Future of Intelligence.
August 6 · 45 min
Brantley Gilbert: Sins of the Father (Faith & Science with Katharine Hayhoe)
Sins of The Father: Exploring the Relationship Between Faith and Science
July 23 · 30 min
Debbii Dawson: Everybody’s Missing Their Medullas (Psychophysics with Daw-An Wu)
Everybody’s Missing Their Medullas: Investigating the Phenomenon of Perception with Psychophysics
July 9 · 47 min
Chaka Khan: Tell Me Something Good (Music as Medicine with Mei Rui)
Tell Me Something Good: Investigating How Music Can Transform The Brain & Body
June 25 · 1 hr 16 min
Special Highlight: Bryan Cranston and Alan Hart on "The Chemistry of Breaking Bad"
Recorded live at London’s Natural History Museum on November 24, 2025. Breaking Bad fanatics, have a fresh pair of trousers at the ready—Bryan Cranston delivers an unforgettable conversation packed with behind-the-scenes stories from his years playing Walter White. He shares how DEA agents taught him the fundamentals of meth production, what he learned shadowing a USC chemistry professor to prepare for the role, and the surprising science details the show actually got right. A Hollywood legend through and through, Cranston does not disappoint. Joining him is the eminent Alan Hart—mineralogist, science historian, and keeper of extraordinary knowledge about the material world. Hart breaks down the real science behind Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the intricate chemistry of organic and inorganic crystal structures, and the remarkable history of how the Periodic Table came to be. Together, Cranston and Hart illuminate the scientific heart of Breaking Bad in a way fans have never heard before.
June 11 · 52 min
Jena Malone: Set Your Sorrows Down (Polyamory Science with Amy Moors)
Set Your Sorrows Down: Dismantling Stigma with Non-Monogamy Research
May 28 · 45 min
Rita Wilson: Sound of a Woman (Gender Studies with Ann Pelligrini)
Sound of a Woman: Identity, Performance and the Power of Voice
May 14 · 1 hr 6 min
Encore: Hank Azaria/Moe The Bartender: Flaming Moe's (Simpsons Neuroscience with Dr. Kevin Ochsner)
Happiness is Just a Flaming Moe Away: How, When, Where and Why Neural Systems Fire in Social Contexts
April 30 · 41 min
Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit (Praying Mantis Science with Jessica Ware)
Creature of Habit: The Science and Symbolism Behind The Praying Mantis
April 15 · 53 min
Debi Nova: Everything Can Become a Song
Everything Can Become a Song: Listening for Harmony in the Costa Rican Wilderness
April 1 · 49 min
Dropkick Murphys: Citizen I.C.E (Public Safety Science with Phillip Atiba Solomon)
Citizen I.C.E.: Identity, Power and the Psychology of "Us vs. Them”
March 18 · 55 min
José González: Against the Dying of the Light (Enlightenment Values with Steven Pinker)
Rage Against the Dying of the Light: Enlightenment and the Case for Human Progress
March 4 · 45 min
Encore: Cat Power: Cat Power Sings Dylan (Nostalgia Neuroscience with Hetvi Doshi)
Chanteuse Chan Marshall, best known as the artist Cat Power talks about her recreation of the historic 1966 Bob Dylan concert album at the Royal Albert Hall with Cornell University neuroscientist and nostalgia expert, Hetvi Doshi. We cover the origins of nostalgia study, the growing body of scientific evidence that suggests nostalgia has health benefits and improves social cohesion with one another. We also talk about the dynamics of food nostalgia and Hetvi’s community nostalgia initiative. For more information on Cat Power’s tour and Hetvi’s work please visit catpowermusic.com, hetvidoshi.com and thecommunitynostalgiaproject.com.
February 18 · 55 min
Miguel: Slow It Down (Time Perception with Jimena Canales)
Slow It Down: The Physics and Philosophy of How We Perceive Time
February 4 · 50 min
rum.gold: Is it Something I Said (Attachment Psychology with Nim Tottenham
Is it Something I Said: Echoes of Childhood Trauma in the Developing Brain
January 21 · 52 min
Lucius: Ice Cream (Multisensory Perception with Ladan Shams)
Ice Cream: How The Brain Blends Music, Memory, Taste and Beyond
January 7 · 1 hr 1 min
Public Service Broadcasting: The Last Flight (Archeology with Richard Pettigrew)
The Last Flight: Archeology and the Enduring Mystery of Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance
Dec 24, 2025 · 43 min
Encore: Sheila E: The Glamorous Life (Rhythm Neuroscience with Hugo Merchant)
The Glamorous Life: Decoding the Elegance of Rhythm Perception in the Human Brain

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