The Human Instrument
Why do our voices change as we get older? And can you guess someone's age from their voice?
"What happens to the human voice as we age? If I hear a voice on the radio, I can guess roughly how old they are. But singer's voices seem to stay relatively unchanged as they age. Why is this?" All these questions were sent to curiouscases@bbc.co.uk by Jonathan Crain from Long Island in New York.
The Doctors discover how the human voice is produced and listen to how our voice sounds when it emerges from our vocal cords. Acoustic engineer Trevor Cox, author of 'Now You're Talking', explains why German and French babies have a different accent. And neuroscientist Sophie Scott describes what happens when boys' voices break, and why a similar thing can happen to women during the menopause.
Finally, our voices often change dramatically in later life, as demonstrated by impressionist Duncan Wisbey from Radio 4's Dead Ringers. Expect cameos from David Attenborough, Dumbledore and Paul McCartney.
Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.
Last on
More episodes
Clips
-
How your voice sounds before it reaches your mouth
Duration: 00:17
-
How to keep your voice in shape
Duration: 00:50
Broadcast
- Tue 29 May 2018 12:04大象传媒 Radio 4
Why do you see faces in unexpected places?
We are 鈥渉ardwired鈥 for recognising faces and it starts at birth.
Podcast
-
Curious Cases
Hannah Fry and Dara 脫 Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!