Musical Abstracts

Research behind... Understanding Misunderstanding

A podcast about a song about the parallels of fake news today and satire in the 18th Century based on research by Prof Abigail Williams at the University of Oxford It might seem like fake news is an exclusively modern experience but it turns out there are many parallels to be drawn between the explosion of printed works in the 18th Century and the internet in more modern times. This is an interview explores the research behind a song that explores some early examples of 'fake news' and how this was interpreted. Theliterature, fake news, parody, Satire song was written by Jonny Berliner in collaboration with Prof. Abigail Williams in the English Faculty at the University of Oxford. Read more about Abigail's research: http://www.english.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-abigail-williams.

Research Behind... The Great Vape Debate

A podcast about a song about vaping based on the latest evidence from research from Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce at the University of Oxford Vaping has exploded onto the scene as an new technology for smoking. Whilst there's a huge amount of debate about vaping in general there is one thing we know: for those already smoking, switching to vaping is much better for you. This interview explores the research behind how we know this, and features the song, 'The Great Vape Debate'. The song was written by Jonny Berliner in collaboration with Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce who works in the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. You can explore the research at http://www.cochranelibrary.com/ and on Twitter @CochraneTAG. views stated and expressed in this song are entirely personal, and do not represent any official views or opinions of Cochrane.

Research Behind... Stomach is the Monarch

The research behind a song about how Victorians saw the conversation between the gut and mood, featuring an interview with researcher Dr Emilie Taylor-Brown at the University of Oxford We often use language to describe emotions with words related to food, and you often hear people linking mood with food, but getting hangry is far from a modern thing; Victorians had already made these connections. This interview explores this gut:brain conversation from the perspective of Victorian literature. The song was written by Jonny Berliner in collaboration with Dr Emilie Taylor-Brown who works in the English Faculty at the University of Oxford, as part of the 'Diseases of Modern Life' project. To learn more about the research visit: https://www.diseasesofmodernlife.org/ and follow on Twitter @diseasesmodlife and @DrETaylorBrown.

Research Behind... Use the Digital to Make the World you Want to See

The research behind a song about mapping the internet and how it links to our physical world, based on research by Prof Mark Graham at the University of Oxford. The internet reflects our physical world, but much of what we see is controlled by internet companies, and isn't always accurate. So what can we do about it to make the internet more equal and representative? This interview talks to the researcher Mark Graham, who collaborated with songwriter Jonny Berliner to write a song about the research. Prof. Mark Graham who works at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. This is part of the Musical Abstracts project as part of the Curiosity Carnival. For more information see http://www.markgraham.space/internet-information-geography/ and follow Mark on Twitter: @geoplace. www.curiositycarnival.org.

Research Behind... Mars Quakes

The research behind a song about the quest to hear Marsquakes based on research by Dr Neil Bowles at the University of Oxford. When the ground shakes on Earth we call them earthquakes. Even weak ones can be detected by 'seismometers' and from listening carefully to them we can learn a lot about the make up of the planet - that it has a solid core, molten mantle under a thin crust. But can we learn anything from listening out for quakes on Mars? In May 2018 the InSight lander will be launched and head to Mars, landing in November 2018. In this interview we talk the researcher behind the mission covered in the song written by Jonny Berliner in collaboration with Dr Neil Bowles who is based at the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. Read more about the research: https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/contacts/people/bowles and follow Neil on Twitter: @neilebowles.