Please don't adjust your radio. This week we're talking about hearing impairment and hearing

aids and this is what this program sounds like for many of the people who have to use one.

But why does it sound like that and what a scientist doing to improve things?

Stripping down science, the naked scientists it's Sunday October the 14th I'm Chris Smith and with me this week as we explore the world of hearing is Alan Boyd. Hello, Alan.

Hello there and we'll also be talking about these sorts of sounds. And if you recognize any of them, then you might be one of the 20% of the population who suffers from

tinnitus. We'll be finding out what causes it and what we can do to treat it.

Plus the meteorite from Mars'

that has trapped inside it samples of Martian magma, surface material, and even Mars's atmosphere.

The Naked Scientists Podcast is powered by UK Fast, the UK's best hosting provider, on the web at UKfast.

co-dot UK.

First up, how do we actually hear? What's happening in our ears and in our brains to give us a sense of sound?

And why are so many, in fact one in six people in the UK affected by problems with hearing.

With us to discuss these issues is Dr. Owen Brimijoyne from the MRC Institute of

Hearing Research in Glasgow.

Hello Owen.

Hello hello, hello.

So tell us a bit then about how the ear actually works.

What is it doing?

Right.

Well, you have to consider that sound consists of these waves of pressure that are radiating outwards from any vibrating object.

So you need a way to sense those changes in air pressure over time.

Deep inside our ears, inside the structure known as the cochlea,

...