To hear is to believe: The art of sound, and how science can explain it

The rise of virtual social interactions, from Zoom calls to the metaverse, has led to great leaps in creating realistic virtual environments. We are much closer to developing virtual audio that precisely mimics real-life sound. How can we simulate virtual audio environments which are undistinguishable from real ones? How can we trick someone to believe there is a person whispering in their left ear, while the reality is that they are alone in their living room? Please bring headphones to explore these questions in an interactive session.

Seeing is supposedly believing – what about hearing? In this interactive session, we will attempt to understand how the brain makes sense of complex auditory environments. To what extent can we trust our senses, and how can vision help to influence what we hear? Expect to understand the cutting edge of this field of neuroscience research, led by Professor Jennifer Bizley from their lab at the UCL Ear Institute.

Mosquitoes' ears are highly complex organs found in their antennae. They play an essential role in reproduction; mosquitoes use their ears to hear their mating partners and successfully mate with them. Because of the role of some mosquito species in spreading disease, interfering with their ability to hear could reduce mating and thus population numbers. In this talk, we will navigate through these topics, from anatomy to behaviour. We will explore this fascinating sensory system and its potential implications for disease control.