Ideas worth spreading

The beautiful, mysterious science of how you hear

465,381 views |

Jim Hudspeth |

TED@NAS

• November 2019

Have you ever wondered how your ears work? In this delightful and fascinating talk, biophysicist Jim Hudspeth demonstrates the wonderfully simple yet astonishingly powerful mechanics of hair cells, the microscopic powerhouses that make hearing possible -- and explains how, when it's really quiet, your ears will begin to beam out a spectrum of sounds unique to you.

Have you ever wondered how your ears work? In this delightful and fascinating talk, biophysicist Jim Hudspeth demonstrates the wonderfully simple yet astonishingly powerful mechanics of hair cells, the microscopic powerhouses that make hearing possible -- and explains how, when it's really quiet, your ears will begin to beam out a spectrum of sounds unique to you.

About the speaker

Jim Hudspeth

Biophysicist, neuroscientist

See speaker profile

A. James "Jim" Hudspeth conducts research on hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear.

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