It is 40 years since American composer Steve Reich first performed his Clapping Music; his aim to "create a piece of music that needed no instruments beyond the human body", but his fascinating ...

Hand clapping is ubiquitous behavior for humans across time and cultures, serving many different purposes: to signify approval with applause, for instance, or to keep time to music. Acousticians often ...

A round of applause, please: Scientists have finally figured out what’s behind the sound of clapping. The research pinpoints a mechanism called a Helmholtz resonator — the same acoustic concept that ...

A study explores how sound induces rhythmic movement in chimpanzees. Music influences rhythmic movement in humans, suggesting a link between the brain's auditory and motor areas. Understanding ...

In a scene toward the end of the 2006 film, "X-Men: The Last Stand," a character claps and sends a shock wave that knocks out ...

Interlimb coordination is critical to the successful performance of simple activities in everyday life and it depends on precisely timed perception–action coupling. This is particularly true in ...

Nearly every human culture uses clapping to cheer, protest, pray or perform – but a new study reveals that the familiar gesture is as much a scientific event as it is a social one. “This is the first ...

Performances in N.Y.C. Advertisement Supported by By Gia Kourlas When a Jen Rosenblit performance ends, we applaud. Clapping hands is generally a group activity — social and celebratory — but this ...