PODCAST · music
Sing for Science
by Talkhouse
Sing For Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation. New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.
Episodes
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Cain Culto: a plague, a pestilence (Psychiatry with Dr. Jack Drescher)
Musician @cainculto and Columbia University clinical professor of psychiatry Dr. Jack Drescher join Sing for Science to examine the evidence against conversion therapy. Cain discusses his Latin American and Appalachian roots, his journey from Christian rock to queer self-expression, and his...
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Blu DeTiger: Shock! (Music, Labor and Gender with Clara Latham)
Bass virtuoso, DJ, and producer Blu DeTiger joins Dr. Clara Latham, music scholar at The New School, for a conversation about groove, gender, and the work behind making music look effortless. Taking Blu’s “SHOCK!” as a starting point, we explore her fluency in disco and funk, the coordination...
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Kota The Friend: For Colored Boys (Black Aliveness with Kevin Quashie)
Brooklyn rapper, producer, and singer-songwriter Kota the Friend joins Brown University professor and author Dr. Kevin Quashie for a conversation about Black life, language, world-building, and the possibilities of imagining a Black world beyond narratives defined by violence. Using Kota’s “For...
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Jensen McRae: Massachusetts (Place Memory with Christine DeLucia)
How do the specific objects and places of our past shape our understanding of personal and collective history? In this episode of Sing for Science, singer-songwriter Jensen McRae sits down with Williams College historian Dr. Christine DeLucia to explore the intersections of songwriting, material...
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Sean Ono Lennon: The Golden Egg of Empathy (AI Ethics with Anat Perry and Jason D’Cruz)
What happens when artificial intelligence is given a directive without a human conscience to constrain it? Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter Sean Ono Lennon joins AI ethics researchers Dr. Jason D'Cruz and Dr. Anat Perry for a conversation inspired by The Great Parrot Ox and...
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Brantley Gilbert: Sins of the Father (Faith & Science with Katharine Hayhoe)
Country star Brantley Gilbert joins us for a conversation about his song “Sins of the Father” with Texas Tech University Climate Scientist and Evangelical Christian, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. We talk about the relationship between faith and science, how to have conversations with people you disagree...
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Debbii Dawson: Everybody’s Missing Their Medullas (Psychophysics with Daw-An Wu)
How does the brain transform the physical world into the rich inner experience we call reality? Singer-songwriter Debbii Dawson joins Caltech neuroscientist Dr. Daw-An Wu for a conversation inspired by her songs "Where Have All the Good Men Gone" and "Chemical Attraction." Together they explore...
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Debbii Dawson: Everybody’s Missing Their Medullas (Psychophysics with Daw-An Wu)
How does the brain transform the physical world into the rich inner experience we call reality? Singer-songwriter Debbii Dawson joins Caltech neuroscientist Dr. Daw-An Wu for a conversation inspired by her songs "Where Have All the Good Men Gone" and "Chemical Attraction." Together they explore...
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Chaka Khan: Tell Me Something Good (Music as Medicine with Mei Rui)
Can music transform the brain and body? Recorded live at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with 11-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan and MD Anderson neurosurgery assistant professor, concert pianist, and music medicine researcher Dr. Mei Rui for a conversation inspired by Rufus’s classic...
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Special Highlight: Bryan Cranston and Alan Hart on "The Chemistry of Breaking Bad"
Recorded live at London’s Natural History Museum on November 24, 2025. Breaking Bad fanatics, have a fresh pair of trousers at the ready—Bryan Cranston delivers an unforgettable conversation packed with behind-the-scenes stories from his years playing Walter White. He shares how DEA agents taught...
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Jena Malone: Set Your Sorrows Down (Polyamory Science with Amy Moors)
Actor and musician Jena Malone joins Sing For Science to discuss “Set Your Sorrows Down” from her album Flowers for Men, a deeply personal record exploring identity, desire, transformation, and non-monogamy. The song’s central question — “Who am I to become now?” — opens a conversation about...
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Rita Wilson: Sound of a Woman (Gender Studies with Ann Pelligrini)
Singer, songwriter, actress, and producer Rita Wilson joins Sing For Science to discuss her song “Sound of a Woman” alongside NYU performance studies scholar and psychoanalyst Ann Pellegrini. Together they explore what it means to “find one’s voice” later in life, how gender is performed and...
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Encore: Hank Azaria/Moe The Bartender: Flaming Moe's (Simpsons Neuroscience with Dr. Kevin Ochsner)
Join Simpsons favorite, Moe The Bartender and his human counterpart Hank Azaria for a lively conversation with Social Neuroscientist, Dr. Kevin Ochsner. We talk about the legendary “Flaming Moe’s” Simpsons episode from both Moe’s and Hank’s perspectives, how and why our brains are wired to thrive...
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Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit (Praying Mantis Science with Jessica Ware)
Australian songwriter Courtney Barnett joins entomologist Jessica Ware to explore the science and symbolism of the praying mantis. From ancient folklore to evolutionary behavior—including its infamous mating habits—they unpack what this strange, still creature is really doing… and why we can’t…
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Debi Nova: Everything Can Become a Song
Costa Rican star Debi Nova joins field biologist and Re:wild’s Mesoamerica Director Esteban Brenes-Mora for our first-ever Central American taping. Recorded in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, the conversation centers on Debi’s album Todo Puede Convertirse en Canción (“Everything Can Become a Song”),...
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Dropkick Murphys: Citizen I.C.E (Public Safety Science with Phillip Atiba Solomon)
What turns neighbors into enemies? What makes cruelty feel permissible? And how does music push back? In this episode, Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey and Yale psychologist Phillip Atiba Solomon use the band’s new song “Citizen I.C.E.” to explore identity, policing, propaganda, and the...
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José González: Against the Dying of the Light (Enlightenment Values with Steven Pinker)
Humanist Heavyweight Steven Pinker joins José González to unpack “Against the Dying of the Light,” a song inspired in part by Pinker’s book, Enlightenment Now. Together they explore Enlightenment values, human nature, progress, algorithms, anger, AI, and whether reason, science, and empathy can...
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Encore: Cat Power: Cat Power Sings Dylan (Nostalgia Neuroscience with Hetvi Doshi)
Chanteuse Chan Marshall, best known as the artist Cat Power talks about her recreation of the historic 1966 Bob Dylan concert album at the Royal Albert Hall with Cornell University neuroscientist and nostalgia expert, Hetvi Doshi. We cover the origins of nostalgia study, the growing body of...
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Miguel: Slow It Down (Time Perception with Jimena Canales)
Grammy-winning artist Miguel joins science historian Jimena Canales for a live taping centered on his song “Nearsight [SID]” from CAOS. What begins as a conversation about a lyric — “slow it down for me” — opens into a wide-ranging exploration of time itself: how it feels to speed up as we age…
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rum.gold: Is it Something I Said (Attachment Psychology with Nim Tottenham
Alt-R&B artist rum.gold joins host Matt Whyte with Dr. Nim Tottenham, Chair of Psychology at Columbia University, for a live taping centered on his song and video “Is It Something I Said.” What begins as a conversation about a music video portraying a mother and son living with anxiety, grief…
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Lucius: Ice Cream (Multisensory Perception with Ladan Shams)
Taped live at Japan House LA on January 10, 2026. Matt chats with Lucius front women Jess Wolfe and Holly Lessig—and Dr. Ladan Shams, UCLA professor of psychology, bioengineering, and neuroscience, to explore the science behind the band’s song “Ice Cream.” Starting from the lyric “time melts away...
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Public Service Broadcasting: The Last Flight (Archeology with Richard Pettigrew)
A century-old vanishing act meets modern investigation in a conversation where art and archaeology follow the same pursuit. J. Willgoose, Esq.—founder of the British band Public Service Broadcasting—and archaeologist Dr. Rick Pettigrew, Executive Director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute…
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Encore: Sheila E: The Glamorous Life (Rhythm Neuroscience with Hugo Merchant)
Queen of Percussion and Prince collaborator Sheila E talks about her 1984 hit, working with Prince, salsa music and learning from her legendary father with University of Mexico Neuroscientist, Dr. Hugo Merchant. Hugo shares fascinating findings about how the mechanisms in the brain process rhythm...
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Taboo Science: Necrophilia (with Dr. Victoria Sullivan & Dr. Jens Foell)
Where does necrophilia come from? What makes people desecrate corpses? And do you have to be a serial killer to have a death fetish? Today’s guests are Dr. Victoria Hartmann, a clinical psychology researcher and executive director of the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas, and neuroscientist and...
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Bryan Cranston and Alan Hart on "The Chemistry of Breaking Bad"
Recorded live at London’s Natural History Museum on November 24, 2025. Breaking Bad fanatics, have a fresh pair of trousers at the ready—Bryan Cranston delivers an unforgettable conversation packed with behind-the-scenes stories from his years playing Walter White. He shares how DEA agents taught...
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Renée Fleming: O Mio Babbino Caro (Singing Science with Sean Hutchins)
Recorded live at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, this episode features world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming and vocal-science researcher Dr. Sean Hutchins in a conversation that plays like part masterclass, part science session. Together they explore how the anatomy and neuroscience…
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Raffi: The More We Get Together (Altruism Science with Jennifer Stellar)
Recorded live at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto on October 31, 2025, this episode brings together beloved children’s musician and advocate Raffi and University of Toronto psychologist Dr. Jennifer Stellar for a conversation about how music helps shape our earliest experiences of...
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Rosanne Cash: Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Storytelling Psychology with Robyn Fivush)
Recorded live at Emory IDEAS Fest in Covington, GA on October 18, 2025, this episode brings together Rosanne Cash—four-time Grammy winner, songwriter, and Americana icon—and psychologist Dr. Robyn Fivush for a conversation about how the stories we tell across generations shape who we become....
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Preview: Fela Kuti: Fear No Man
Subscribe to Fela Kuti: Fear No Man. In a world that’s on fire, what is the role of art? What can music actually…do? Can a song save a life? Change a law? Topple a president? Get you killed? In Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Jad Abumrad—creator of Radiolab, More Perfect, and Dolly Parton’s America—tells...
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Kacey Musgraves: Heart of the Woods (Mycology with Paul Stamets)
Recorded live in front of a sold out crowd at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 18, 2025, Kacey Musgraves and pioneering mycologist Paul Stamets dive deep into the biology, evolution, and mental health potential of psilocybin. From its ancient ritual roots to its emerging role in...
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AJR’s Adam Met: Inertia (Climate Science with Alexis Abramson)
“Amplify” author and AJR member Adam Met talks about the playbook he wrote applying fan-building strategies to the climate movement. Adam drops silver linings aplenty in our chat with Alexis Abramson, Dean of the Columbia Climate School, the world’s first truly comprehensive university climate...
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Laurie Anderson: O Superman (Nuclear Disarmament Science with Zia Mian)
Laurie Anderson joins us live from NYC’s Poster House Museum in conversation with Dr. Zia Mian (Princeton physicist & nuclear policy expert). We explore her iconic 1982 hit “O Superman” and its album Big Science—how it anticipated many of the tensions of the nuclear age and still resonates...
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Noah Cyrus: I Want My Loved Ones To Go With Me (Afterlife Science with Kim Penberthy)
Singer-songwriter Noah Cyrus talks about her haunting new album inspired by a hymn written by her great-grandfather, and her deepest fear—not death itself, but being separated from her loved ones. She also opens up about her near-death experience and the profound losses that shaped her experience...
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(UNCUT) Jonathan Davis (Korn): Dead Bodies Everywhere (Mortuary Science with Mary Roach)
WARNING: This episode contains content related to mortuary science that some listeners may find disturbing. Korn frontman Jonathan Davis delves into his past as a mortician with popular science bestselling author, Mary Roach. Mary wrote the hit book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and...
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LABS: Neko Case and Rebecca McMackin on Ecological Horticulture
Recorded live at Boston’s Museum of Science on July 31, 2025. Visionary singer-songwriter Neko Case joins ecological horticulturist and Brooklyn Bridge Park garden designer Rebecca McMackin for a wide-ranging conversation about land stewardship, biodiversity, and the joys of gardening. From…
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Microscopes: Madison McFerrin on Baking Science
Join acclaimed singer-songwriter and Tiny Desk phenom Madison McFerrin as she bakes chocolate chip cookies live and chats with host Matt Whyte in the first Microscopes episode of Sing For Science. Madison shares how baking and music serve as parallel creative outlets—both shaped by improvisation,...
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Josh Ritter: Truth is a Dimension (Astrophysics with Avi Loeb)
Taped Live in Boston as part of the 2025 WBUR Festival at City Space. Join celebrated American songwriter, Josh Ritter for a chat about the night sky, the dimensionality of truth, UAP, creativity and more with Harvard Astrophysicist, Dr. Avi Loeb. This episode also includes a live performance of...
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(UNCUT) YUNGBLUD and Brad Schoenfeld on Fitness Science | LABS
Join UK superstar and boxing enthusiast, YUNGBLUD for his chat with renowned fitness performance scientist, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld. We chat about the mechanics of boxing, how YUNGBLUD’s boxing practice has improved not just his strength and stamina as a performer but aided in treating his ADHD, how…
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LABS: YUNGBLUD and Brad Schoenfeld on Fitness Science
Join UK superstar and boxing enthusiast, YUNGBLUD for his chat with renowned fitness performance scientist, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld. We chat about the mechanics of boxing, how YUNGBLUD’s boxing practice has improved not just his strength and stamina as a performer but aided in treating his ADHD, how…
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Encore: LABS: David Byrne and Patrik Svensson on the Eel Question
Recorded Live at the Museum of Science in Boston on May 8, 2024, musician polymath and Talking Heads co-founder David Byrne talks with The Book of Eels author, Patrik Svensson. Even in today’s age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don’t understand...
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Tommy Chong: Up In Smoke (Cannabis Science with Staci Gruber)
Taped Live in Los Angeles at Dynasty Typewriter with cultural icon and comedy legend, Tommy Chong alongside world-renowned cannabis researcher, Dr. Staci Gruber (McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School). Together, they do a deep dive on what science can tell us about cannabis use both recreational...
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Jessie Reyez: Palo Santo (Smell Science with Pamela Dalton)
Join Grammy-nominated Colombian-Canadian singer, Jessie Reyez for a chat about her hypnotic ode to “Palo Santo”. We talk about smudging, incense rituals in Colombia vs North America, crowd surfing accidents, how we smell, why smells produce such strong emotional responses, the DOD’s “Stink Bomb”...
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RÜFÜS DU SOL: INHALE/EXHALE (Breathwork Science with Jack Feldman)
Join RÜFÜS DU SOL lead singer Tyrone Lindqvist for a deep dive on the breathing tools he and his band use to sustain their demanding live performances and on the experience that inspired their latest album. Also joining us is perhaps the best known expert on the subject from the science world…
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LABS: BLOND:ISH and Kara Wiggin on Plastic and Circularity
Join massive Canadian DJ BLOND:ISH for a conversation about seeking a life of balance, her philosophy on the exchange of energy and her non-profit “Bye Bye Plastic” which she started to help eradicate single use plastics from all aspects of the music industry. Also joining us is Dr. Kara Wiggin…
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Encore: Duran Duran: Save a Prayer (Particle Physics with Brian Cox)
Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and Particle Physicist Brian Cox discuss time travel, the intersection of politics and science and more!
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Encore: Blondie: Rapture (Climate Science with Michael Mann)
This episode originally aired on Feb 2, 2022. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, co-founders of Blondie speak with climatologist Dr. Michael Mann about ancient climate history, the relationship between agriculture and climate, preventing climate catastrophe and much more.
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LABS: Christine and the Queens and Matteo Cantiello on Plasma Physics
Star stuff! And lots of it. In this episode we chat with Rahim Redcar from Christine and the Queens and physicist, Matteo Cantiello about plasma - the most abundant form of matter in our universe: what is it, what’s it do and where is it found. We also cover extraterrestrial intelligence, the...
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Hank Azaria/Moe The Bartender: Flaming Moe's (Simpsons Neuroscience with Dr. Kevin Ochsner)
Join Simpsons favorite, Moe The Bartender and his human counterpart Hank Azaria for a lively conversation with Social Neuroscientist, Dr. Kevin Ochsner. We talk about the legendary “Flaming Moe’s” Simpsons episode from both Moe’s and Hank’s perspectives, how and why our brains are wired to thrive...
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LABS: Patricia Cornwell and Dr. Avi Loeb on Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Recorded Live at the Museum of Science in Boston on October 8, 2024 as part of the Reno Family Foundation Symposium Series. #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Patricia Cornwell and Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb discuss the uncanny resemblance between Dr. Loeb and the primary murder victim in...
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SOFI TUKKER: Bread (Bread Science with Dr. Maria Ortiz)
Recorded Live at the Emory Ideas Fest at Emory University’s Oxford Campus on September 22, 2024. Global dance music stars SOFI TUKKER celebrate the release of their bread themed album Bread with a conversation about the science that makes bread so delicious and universal. Joining us is food...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Sing For Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation.
New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.
HOSTED BY
Talkhouse
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Sing for Science have?
Sing for Science currently has 111 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Sing for Science about?
Sing For Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an...
How often does Sing for Science release new episodes?
Sing for Science publishes regularly with 111 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Sing for Science?
You can listen to Sing for Science on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Sing for Science?
Sing for Science is created and hosted by Talkhouse.
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