If writing review papers and polishing manuscripts has worn you down, maybe it's time to turn to your musical talents to explain your science. For more than a year, Nature reporter Daniel Cressey has been cataloguing songs about science on The Great Beyond blog. The fourteenth installment features songs that are not only entertaining and educational, but are also easy on the ears (http://tinyurl.com/ac4aox).

The Nano Song is a Sesame-Street-esque rundown of how small 'nano-small' is — complete with dancing letters and a grouchy puppet. It's also the University of California, Berkeley's entry in the American Chemical Society's 'What is Nano?' contest (http://tinyurl.com/c97qug).

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State University geoscientist Richard Alley pays homage to the subduction processes that drive earthquakes and volcanoes in his version of Ring of Fire (with apologies to Johnny Cash).

Both songs pack a science lesson into the span of three minutes and are sung in melodious voices. Check out the full series of songs the next time you need a writing break.