I guess somebody has already described somewhere the ways the knowledge transforms and spreads out through various channels, particularly from the scientific source to general public. Here is one interesting example. In the July ELLE magazine there is a short article called "Brain Train". Here what it says:

"A study from Ohio State University found that volunteers who listened to music while exercising improved their scores on tests of verbal ability... "

I was curious about it because I don't like the music playing while I work out in the gym (and they play it all the time.) Search for articles by Prof. C. Emery (the researcher cited in the ELLE article) revealed that the only paper related to studies of music and exercise is titled:
"Short-term effects of exercise and music on cognitive performance among participants in a cardiac rehabilitation program."
Here is the abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Exercise has been associated with improved cognitive performance among patients with coronary artery disease. Music listening has been associated with enhanced cognitive functioning among healthy adults. This study evaluated the combined influence of exercise and music listening on cognitive performance among patients in cardiac rehabilitation center. ...
SAMPLE: Thirty-three men and women (mean age = 62.6 +/- 10.5 years) participated in this study.
METHODS: Participants completed 1 exercise session accompanied by music and a second exercise session without music. Order of conditions was assigned randomly. Before and after each exercise session, participants completed a brief assessment of depression and anxiety, and a cognitive test of verbal fluency.
RESULTS: The music condition was associated with significant improvements in verbal fluency, but the no-music control condition was not associated with cognitive change.

It's not that ELLE article is lying but all those little omissions such as subjects being patients with coronary artery disease; mean age being 62.6 years; short-term effect of music and so on distort the results.
I got an idea that music along with exercise improves anybody's (i.e. healthy young adults' as well) verbal abilities in general. Is this what the study reports? N-not exactly..

There is a possibility, of course, that ELLE talks about some other studies by Prof. Charles Emery, which can not be found in the scientific literature yet.