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The Dead Composer Whose ‘Brain’ Still Makes Music

The Dead Composer Whose ‘Brain’ Still Makes Music

A museum exhibit in Australia lets visitors hear music generated by brain cells derived from the blood of a dead composer.

Science Quickly

September 26, 202525m 25s

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Show Notes

In a hauntingly innovative exhibit, brain cells grown from the late composer Alvin Lucier’s blood generate sound. Set in a museum in Perth, Australia, the installation blurs the line between art and neuroscience. Host Rachel Feltman and associate editor Allison Parshall explore the profound questions the exhibit raises about creativity, consciousness and the meaning of making music. 


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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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