Discovery

Why do some people have no sense of direction?


Listen Later

Two challenges for the team today involving singing and navigating.

The Melodic Mystery

"Why is my mother tone deaf?" asks listener Simon, "and can I do anything to ensure my son can at least carry a tune?" Hannah admits to struggling to hold a tune and has a singing lesson with teacher Michael Bonshor, although it doesn’t go quite to plan.
We meet Martin who hates music because he has the clinical form of tone deafness, known as amusia. Just as people with dyslexia see words differently to other people, if you have amusia you don't hear melodies in the same way. Adam talks to music psychologist Dr Vicky Williamson from Sheffield University who studies Martin, and others like him, to try and discover why their brains operate differently.

The Lost Producer

In our second case, we investigate why some people have a terrible sense of direction. It’s the turn of Producer Michelle to be put to the test to try improve her poor navigational skills.
Prof Hugo Spiers from University College London examines Michelle’s sense of direction using his free game 'Sea Hero Quest'. Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster suggests strategies to stop Michelle from getting lost. And tune in to find out which country houses the world’s best navigators.

Photo: Indonesian Army personnel read a map. Credit: Juni Kriswanto/AFP /Getty Images)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

DiscoveryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

940 ratings


More shows like Discovery

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,752 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

888 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,056 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,508 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,791 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,838 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,080 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,079 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

599 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

762 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

98 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

412 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

414 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

819 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

763 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

736 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

238 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

363 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

482 Listeners

People Fixing the World by BBC World Service

People Fixing the World

246 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,213 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

771 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

116 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,037 Listeners