Did you know that music therapy is actually backed by scientific research? Scientists are saying that the increasing understanding of the power of music on the brain could lead to more effective treatments for conditions such as dementia and other memory issues, anxiety, stress, depression, learning disabilities, and numerous physical illnesses including chronic pain, cancer and Parkinson's disease, the Washington Post reports. “Music activates different parts of the brain,” according to Amy Belfi, assistant professor of psychological science at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. There is also evidence that listening to music can cause the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, a chemical messenger involved in the brain's reward and pleasure system. Music has also been shown to make more of the hormone oxytocin, which is involved in childbirth, mother-child bonding, trust, and romantic attachment, and less of the hormone cortisol, which makes people feel stressed.

Legendary musician Tony Bennett was a perfect example of music's healing power. At 96 years old, he was still able to flawlessly perform his hits even while suffering from Alzheimer’s. The digital therapeutics company Lucid is optimizing the use of music for clinical purposes within the domains of mental and neuropsychiatric health by building an AI-powered music player capable of creating a playlist that can help patients with many conditions, including anxiety, the news outlet reports citing a company’s scientist.

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Is China spying through TikTok? The White House has given US government agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all federal devices and systems, according to a memorandum reportedly seen by Reuters. The Chinese-owned app has already been banned from government devices linked to the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department, as well as in several US states, in a bid to protect US digital infrastructure and data from Chinese spying attempts — claims that have been denied by the Chinese government and TikTok owners, ByteDance. Similar regulations are in place in Canada, the EU, and Taiwan. The Chinese company refutes the concerns it says are fueled by misinformation.

A sign of widening cracks between US, China: The crackdown has increased support for a bill introduced by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would grant President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok from all US devices. The bill is set to be voted on next Tuesday. Almost 100 mn Americans have downloaded the app on their personal and work devices, according to Reuters. The bill is also a sign of the ever-deepening hawkishness toward Beijing, from both US parties, recently heightened by the alleged Chinese spy balloon found over the US, says Bloomberg, which also picked up the story.