Had a lovely time presenting some of our research from @coe-mmbb.bsky.social on #music and #love at this special meeting of @royalsociety.org in Edinburgh. It was an exciting couple of days, filled with stimulating discussions about the variety of ways that people form connections with each other.

Somehow it feels like this research exists purely to be a question for a pub quiz. www.livescience.com/physics-math...

How many holes does the human body have?

You might think that the human body has many holes, but that number shrinks when you stop to consider what counts as a hole.

livescience.com

What role does music play in romantic relationships? We asked a bunch of people and the results are now published in Open Research Europe! 💙🎵 It was a really fun experience working with ORE, which is @ec.europa.eu's own journal for @erc.europa.eu funded research, using post-pub open peer review.

Music, Mind, Body and Brain@coe-mmbb.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Music plays an important role in relationships, especially in the early stages. It can help people express identity, share emotions and bond. But how does music contribute to romantic love at different stages of a relationship? Read more: doi.org/10.12688/ope... #MusicScience #MusicSky

Come study with us! We are excited to announce the international application period for our Master’s Degree in Music and Science is now open! www.jyu.fi/en/study-wit... You can apply until 21 January 2026. Please distribute to anyone interested!

Master's Degree Programme in Music and Science

The Master's Degree Programme in Music and Science at the University of Jyväskylä aims to help students understand the various functions of music in modern everyday life by examining music through a c...

jyu.fi

Looking forward to Valentine's day? Our researcher, Dr Joshua Bamford @js.bamford.id.au has some relationship advice, based upon recent studies into music and love. 🥰💘 Read it here: scienceillustrated.com/humans/one-p... #MusicScience #MusicSky #ValentinesDay

One particular thing can instantly reveal a lot about your personality. And researchers think we should be much better at using it in our love lives

A social signal can say something about who you are as a person and what matters to you in a split second. And according to two researchers, the factor can be an easy way to breathe life into a relati...

scienceillustrated.com

I am very pleased to announce that, after many years of hard work and brushing, I have been finally admitted to that most prestigious of academic societies: The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS). improbable.com/2025/12/30/j...

Joshua Bamford joins the The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists™ (LFHCfS)

Joshua Bamford has joined the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists™ (LFHCfS). He says: I am a cognitive anthropologist, studying the evolutionary functions of music and dance in Homo s…

improbable.com

Nice to see our MEL model mentioned here. Music is a really important part of many people's romantic lives! medium.com/illumination...

Can Music Make You Fall in Love? How Music Shapes Romance, Attraction, and Heartbreak

From the first song that sparks attraction to the tunes that help us heal after heartbreak, music profoundly influences how we experience…

medium.com

Cow Tools! We have lived alongside cows for nearly 10,000 years. We breed them and exploit them It is now, only now, that we have discovered THEY CAN USE TOOLS Here I describe our study (paper) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... in @currentbiology.bsky.social with @auersperga.bsky.social

Homosexual behaviour has sometimes been regarded as an evolutionary paradox, but a study looking at 59 primate species suggests it does in fact boost survival.

Is there an evolutionary reason for same-sex sexual behaviour?

newscientist.com

Doctors hate this one trick... scienceillustrated.com/humans/one-p...

One particular thing can instantly reveal a lot about your personality. And researchers think we should be much better at using it in our love lives

A social signal can say something about who you are as a person and what matters to you in a split second. And according to two researchers, the factor can be an easy way to breathe life into a relati...

scienceillustrated.com

Wonder how it compares with other countries? yle.fi/a/74-20197446

Finns have an average of 11 friends, 4 close ones, survey finds

Around four percent of men, and just under two percent of women, said they had no friends or companions at all.

yle.fi

Organisers are doing the final touches to the #RPPW20 we look forward to welcoming our colleagues to Jyväskylä next week @coe-mmbb.bsky.social @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social

We are taking an exploratory approach to develop current understandings of what activities and behaviours are involved in romantic relationships. If you're interested in participating, please follow this link for more information: swanseachhs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

When did humans first begin to sing, and why? I had a crack at answering this question as part of @newscientist.com's LastWord series. www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg2... #musicscience @coe-mmbb.bsky.social

Is it known when humans or our ancestors first started to sing?

As songs don't fossilise, this is a difficult task, point out our readers – but this doesn't stop them having a go

newscientist.com

Why do we teach music? While debates about funding for the arts are ongoing, it's worth reflecting on what music does for society. In this short piece, we discuss some of the predominant theories about the role of music education. doi.org/10.57874/nsy... #musicscience

Octopus

Free, fast and fair: the global primary research record where researchers publish their work in full detail.

doi.org

Something for all of us in the higher education sector to think about. With every action, we should always be asking: how does this serve the core mission of the university? academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities

You may never have considered yourself to be one. Why would you? But if you’re reading this, there is more than a likelihood that you are one. If you’re a

academic.oup.com

I’ve been adding groups to this starter pack for #musicscience labs as I’ve found them. If there are any that I’ve missed drop them in the comments! go.bsky.app/Eao5vcf

New online study looking at how people rate a musical rehearsal between two singers. It just takes 5-10 minutes and it'd be great if you could have a listen: oxfordanthropology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

What do fireflies, fish schools, and dancers have in common? They self-organize—and now, science has a model to explain it! New study by Petri Toiviainen and colleagues uses swarmalators to reveal the hidden physics of the dance floor. www.frontiersin.org/journals/beh...

Frontiers | Modeling dynamics on the dance floor with directional swarmalators

frontiersin.org

Finally, AI can now model how people behave at a silent disco! #musicscience

Music, Mind, Body and Brain@coe-mmbb.bsky.social · last yr.

What do fireflies, fish schools, and dancers have in common? They self-organize—and now, science has a model to explain it! New study by Petri Toiviainen and colleagues uses swarmalators to reveal the hidden physics of the dance floor. www.frontiersin.org/journals/beh...

瑞蛇呈祥 Wishing everybody celebrating a happy, healthy and prosperous #LunarNewYear! 🐍 🎉 #ChineseNewYear | #YearOfTheSnake

Sad to say that my time as a postdoc at @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social is coming to an end... because next week I'll be starting as a Senior Lecturer! Very excited to be stepping into a new role at this great university out in the middle of the forest, doing #musicscience. 🎶👨‍🎓🌲

Nice to see our work discussed here!

Music, Mind, Body and Brain@coe-mmbb.bsky.social · 2y ago

Some of our research from the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain in The Guardian today! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Some of our research from the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain in The Guardian today! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Music sounds better with you? How your listening habits affect your love life

Psychologists say that singing, dancing and song preferences play a key role in the viability of romantic relationships

theguardian.com

We're hiring! The University, in association with St Catherine's College, proposes to appoint an Associate Professor of Music with effect from 1 October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Nearly 20 years ago, I was on a family holiday/fieldtrip to the north-west coast of Australia, where we found a lizard that nobody could identify. It turned out to be an undescribed species and, finally, after all this time, it has now been described! Meet 𝐿𝑖𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑎! doi.org/10.11646/zoo...

Molecular and morphological assessment of the Liopholis inornata (Rosén, 1905) species group (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), with descriptions of two new species from northern Western Australia...

doi.org

The 20th Rhythm Perception and Production Workshop (RPPW 20) will take place at the Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland from the 16th to the 19th of June 2025. The portal for abstract submissions is now open here: www.rppw.org/rppw20 #musicscience

RPPW20

Submission portal for RPPW20

rppw.org

Where people live 8% Full democracy 37% Flawed democracy 18% Hybrid regime 37% Authoritarian regime According to: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index. The EIU classifies the US as a flawed democracy. www.visualcapitalist.com/state-of-dem...

For those who missed it: Elon Musk, the Royal Society, and me deevybee.blogspot.com/2024/11/why-...

Why I have resigned from the Royal Society

The Royal Society is a venerable institution founded in 1660, whose original members included such eminent men as Christopher Wren, Robert H...

deevybee.blogspot.com

I've been playing around on Octopus, a novel platform that publishes modular scientific papers. Here's my first attempt at outlining some of the major research questions in the ethology of music. Welcome to add hypotheses or to collaborate on an updated version! 🐙🎵 doi.org/10.57874/9n3...

Octopus

Free, fast and fair: the global primary research record where researchers publish their work in full detail.

doi.org