Let's get geeky on music. Ever wonder what's happening in a musician's brain when they're actually playing a song?

What about when a musician starts improvising - starts playing music directly "off the cuff"?

Thanks to the research from Dr. Charles Limb - an ear and throat doctor and surgeon who also happens to be obsessed with music - we now have a much better idea.

Over the last few years - Limb put jazz musicians and rappers into MRI machines to see what's happening in their brain when they improvise or freestyle rap.

Inside of the MRI machine - he'd have them simply play scales followed by having them improvise on scales - and then he'd have the musicians play a memorized piece of music - and then finally he'd have them play an improvised version of that.

What he found was when one of the subjects started improvising - parts of the brain that are associated with "self-expression" were activated - language regions and at times regions associated with visual imagery activated too.

But what's really interesting is that regions of the brain that are involved in inhibition - the parts of the brain that self-monitor and hold us back from saying and doing offensive or inappropriate things - were actually LESS active during improvisation.

Limb points out, "Without this type of creativity, humans wouldn't have advanced as a species."

He's right, understanding creativity and how humans improvise - especially in groups - isn't just fascinating: it's critical to understanding how humans have been so successful as a species.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... No show tonight - quarterly maintenance (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

There will be no show tonight as it is RT's quarterly maintenance day.

Friday's Daily Stack

Hour One: Trump Speech Reax Plus a Look Ahead to the DNC
- Karen Finney, Hillary For America

Article: "Hillary Clinton in Orlando: We must 'stand as one' after Pulse" by Jeff Weiner.

Article: "Clock ticks down on Clinton's VP announcement" by Dan Merica and Jeff Zeleny.

Event: Philadelphia, PA, July 25–28, 2016: "2016 Democratic National Convention".

Article: "2nd Amendment". A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Article: "Full transcript of Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the RNC" by Brad Plumer.

Article: "Read Ivanka Trump’s Speech at the Republican Convention" by Will Drabold.

Book: Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Article: "The Era Of Trump Has Killed Conservative Integrity" by Kyle Foley.

Article: "Burning Down The Conservative Movement" by Susan Wright.

Article: "Trump’s New GOP Cheers Homosexuality And Boos God. I’m Done." by streiff.

Article: "Trump’s Relentlessly Angry, Negative Speech about an Intrusive Government" by Leon H. Wolf.

Article: "Dear Trumpkins, did you really think we were like you?" by jcampbell46549.

Article: "His Tone Dark, Donald Trump Takes G.O.P. Mantle" by Patrick Healy and Jonathan Martin.

Tweet: "My thoughts and prayers are with the fact checkers. #RNCinCLE" by Jill Biden.

Article: "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement" (TPP) by EFF.

Article: "Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement" (CAFTA-DR) by Wikipedia. (CAFTA pre January 2004)

Article: "There he goes again: Trump slams 'ruined' Ted Cruz" by David M Jackson.

Article: "Michael Moore: Trump is going to win" by Joe Concha.

Speech: "Farewell Address" by George Washington (1796).

Article: "Silvio Berlusconi" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Augusto Pinochet" by Wikipedia.

Site: Arctic News.

Article: "Tim Kaine Calls To Deregulate Banks As He Campaigns To Be Clinton’s VP" by Zach Carter.

Article: "Hours Before Hillary Clinton’s VP Decision, Likely Pick Tim Kaine Praises the TPP" by Zaid Jilani.

Article: "Hillary Clinton's vice-president short list narrows" by CBC News.

Article: "Pat Buchanan" by Wikipedia.

Article: "George Wallace" by Wikipedia.

Article: "J Curve" (James Chowning Davies, revolutions) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Trump vs. Hillary Is Nationalism vs. Globalism, 2016" by Robert W. Merry.

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann (read online).

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "They Will Steal It!" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Golden Rule" by Wikipedia.

Book: The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet.

Article: "Franklin Graham says he did NOT endorse Donald Trump at meeting" by Christian Deguit.

Article: "Report: Roger Ailes Consulted With Trump Before Resigning This Week" by Katherine Krueger.

Article: "Equal Rights Amendment" by Wikipedia.

Article: "13th Amendment",December 6, 1865 (end slavery)

Movie: "Capitalism: A Love Story".

Article: "The AP fact-checked Donald Trump's speech – and there were some whoppers" by Calvin Woodward and Michael Biesecker.

Article: "Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Indiana)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Ben Carson Goes Rogue, Links Hillary Clinton To Lucifer" by Tina Nguyen. "...the Declaration of Independence, talks about certain inalienable rights that come from our creator..."

Article: "Declaration of Independence". "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them..."

Article: "1776: Declaration of Independence (various drafts)".

Book: "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John W. Dean.

Article: "Putsch" by Merriam-Webster.

Article: "Beer Hall Putsch" by Wikipedia.

Book: "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" by William L. Shirer.

Article: "Yes, Melania Speech Fall Woman Meredith McIver Is Real. Here’s Proof." by Jeremy Stahl.

Talk Media News Segment:
- Bob Ney

Documentary: Atticus v. The Architect (Don Siegelman v. Karl Rove).

Article: "Sheldon Adelson Snubs Cruz After RNC Speech" by Joe Crowe.

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman

Article: "The Backfire Effect: Why Facts Don't Win Arguments".

Article: "Munich shooting: Three suspected shooters at large following 'multiple deaths' at OEZ German shopping centre" by Siobhan Fenton.

Book: "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image" by Leonard Shlain (Thom's review).

Article: "Treaty of Tripoli" by Wikipedia.

Article: "In Choosing Mike Pence, Donald Trump Moves Closer to Big Donors Like the Kochs" by Nicholas Confessore.

Article: "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis.

Quote: "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Winston S. Churchill.

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

I'll be talking to Congressman Adam Schiff, who is scheduled to speak at this week's convention.

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

Did Trump's RNC speech get him MORE votes or LESS votes?

Vote here!

Trump Is Changing on Global Trade...

The Right's Crazy For God

Is “Free Speech" Really Sexist & Racist Harassment?

Cruz Said “You’re Fired!"

Banking: Is the GOP Feeling the Bern?

Full Show 7/21/2016: Cruz Missile Hits RNC Reality Show

On tonight's Big Picture with Thom Hartmann, District Sentinel Co-Founder Sam Sacks talks the republicans surprising and somewhat unbelievable attempt to break up the big banks. John Nichols of The Nation talks about the Republican circus at the RNC convention. New York Times bestselling author Frank Schaeffer talks Trump VP nominee Mike Pence's infatuation with the evangelical. Author Mark Weisbrot talks about Trump and Pence's conflicting stance on trade and the latest on the Brazilian economy and Pres. Rousseff. Radio host Benjamin "Ben" Dixon talks Leslie Jones and her Twitter bullying saga, before Thom wraps with Your Take My Take Live.

The 2016 Election Is A Big Freaking Deal

How Will The DNC Convention Be Different From The RNC?... Hope! (w/Guest: Sen. Al Franken)