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Darwin's Tunes

Is our taste in music, and how it's changed over the centuries, governed by creative genius or simply by survival of the fittest sounds, chosen by us the consumer?

Is our taste in music, and how it's changed over the centuries, governed by creative genius or simply by survival of the fittest sounds, chosen by us the consumer? Does Darwin's theory of natural selection apply to more than just life on the planet?

The idea of survival of the fittest and cultural evolution can be applied to many aspects of our lives; from fashion to the naming of our children.

In a world of digital sampling scientists have designed an experiment to see if they can create the perfect song by asking individuals to choose which tunes survive and reproduce to create new tunes and which ones die out.

If they can do this, where does that leave today's musical producers and composers? Do we still need a trained mind to compose truly amazing music?

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

Available now

18 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Sep 2012 23:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 17 Sep 2012 18:32GMT
  • Tue 18 Sep 2012 03:32GMT
  • Tue 18 Sep 2012 10:32GMT
  • Sun 23 Sep 2012 06:32GMT
  • Sun 23 Sep 2012 23:32GMT

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