Why Do Babies Randomly Scream? The Science of Screech-and-Listen

If you've ever wondered why your ten-to-fourteen-month-old suddenly starts shrieking at full volume for no apparent reason, this episode has the answers. We break down the acoustic signature of the "practice scream" (and how to tell it from a pain cry), the neurological developments in the corticobulbar tract that make it possible, and why your baby's startle-triggering vocalizations are actually a sign of healthy development. Plus, the evolutionary reason this sound is literally engineered to be impossible to ignore — and why your parental alarm system isn't overreacting.