Dr Tamara Rathcke from the Department of English Language and Linguistics has co-edited a themed Issue of the science journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, entitled ‘Communicative Rhythms in Brain and Behaviour.’
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is one of the oldest scientific journals in the English speaking world, established in 1665. The journal separated into A and B versions, A: Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences and B: Biological Sciences in 1887. Tamara’s co-edited issue appears in the latter.
Tamara and her co-authors, Rachel Smith, Fred Cummins, Katie Overy, and Sophie Scott, bring together cutting-edge original research with reviews from different disciplinary perspectives. They seek to integrate theoretical and empirical advances, and to expand the common ground and potential for collaboration between the many disciplines involved in researching rhythm.
The papers of the issue explore a wide range of questions relating to the functions of rhythm in behaviour and the neurobiological bases of rhythm in the brain. What do speech and music share in terms of their rhythmic organisation, and how do they differ? How can rhythmic structure enhance prediction? How does it facilitate social interaction, from infancy onwards? And how does people’s ability to use rhythm unravel in cases of neurogenic disorder?
The online version of the journal will be published today, 10 November at http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1658.toc, with the print version to follow in December.
For full details, see the journal’s webpage here: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/site/2014/rhythms.xhtml
The journal has also been picked up by the media, with research from the journal appearing in articles by the Mail Online and Today Parents.
Tamara will be launching her co-editied special edition of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B on Tuesday 25 November from 5-7pm at the Yudowitz Lecture Theatre and Atrium, Wolfson Medical School Building, University of Glasgow. The launch will include talks from Fred Cummins (University College Dublin), Nigel Fabb (University of Strathclyde), and a performance from award-winning poet Hannah Silva.