Episode guide
Hearing: The Science of Sound Waves and Ears
Every sound you have ever heard was air, gently pushed. This episode follows a whisper from a mouth to a tiny drum and into the mind.
The science, gently
- Sound travels as ripples in the air, and your eardrum is a skin that feels them.
- Three tiny bones in your ear, the smallest in your body, pass the ripples inward.
- Your ears never switch off; your brain politely lowers the volume while you sleep.
Wonder together
- What is the quietest sound you can hear right now?
- Which sounds would you keep, if you could keep only five?
- How does your brain know a lullaby from a truck?
Tonight's calm-down
List tonight's sounds without judging them: the house, the air, your breath. Your ears will stand watch, as they always do. They have never once needed your help to do it.