Tune Deafness and the Brain (broadcast Friday, June 13th, 2008)

Some people just can't carry a tune -- not because they have poor voices, but because the difference between 'right' and 'wrong' notes isn't significant to them. Writing this week in the journal PLOS One, however, a team of researchers report that the brains of tune-deaf people do actually react to incorrect notes unconsciously. And while the work is unlikely to lead to improvements in the musical performance of tune-deaf people, studying the genetics and brain behavior of these people could help researchers better understand the differences between conscious and unconscious thought. We'll talk with one of the scientists on the project about the work and what it means.