Watch the tongue at work

the diva and the emcee from Krishna Nayak on Vimeo.

Researchers got an opera singer and a beatbox emcee to do their thing inside an MRI machine. The results are seriously fascinating to watch. (Via Ferris Jabr)

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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penguinchris

Can’t forget the video of Mel Blanc’s “vocal folds” while he does several of his Looney Toons voices; not quite the same but still very interesting :)
Robotech_Master

And here I thought from the headline that this story was going to be about watching what you say around the boss!
kagemeister

Next up: MRI porn.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Next up: MRI porn.
  
  Been there.
  - kagemeister
    
    This study is one of the reasons I am proud of my Dutch heritage.
  - Anonymous
    
    And here I was about to post something to the effect of: “the most WTF thing I’ve ever seen through an MRI was a couple mid-coitus, thanks to the Science channel”. Thanks for being a know-it-all, boingboing.
Anonymous

Wow. I used to play trumpet. I knew things changed in the mouth as you try for different notes but I didn’t know the inside mouth and throat could change shape so much!
Muse

It is really interesting to see the anatomy in motion. Things tend to fit together in slightly surprising ways. The quality of the MRI images are lacking though. I prefer the clarity of X-rays.

Here is a great x-ray animation of a woman opening her mouth:
http://www.ling.su.se/STAFF/ericsdotter/projects/big_mouth.html

Here is one of a guy talking:
http://www.ling.su.se/STAFF/ericsdotter/projects/pion_fp11.htm

Wim Delvoye did a series of sexual x-ray images that are not animated and definitely NSFW:
http://www.modernedition.com/art-articles/sex-in-art/sex-in-art.html
Anonymous

Thanks for sharing guys, brilliant!
ponkyo

I’d really like to see a version with a trumpet and clarinet player doing double and triple tonguing
elk

Check out that sinus cavity flipping open and shut! Amazing.

Some fingerless cat-calling visual aid would be useful too.
Anonymous

“They’re made of meat!”
bluefelix5

The opera singer was annoying, but the MC toward the end was great. It looked like everything in his mouth was dancing. Great vid. :)
Anonymous

That was some of the best 4:30 mins I have spent on the Internet lately. Utterly fascinating to see. Thanks Boing Boing!