75th Anniversary of Polythene - Sound Perception

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75th Anniversary of Polythene In 1933 a remarkable series of coincidences led to the discovery of a material that would change our lives forever. In this week’s Material World, Quentin Cooper celebrates the 75th anniversary of the discovery of polythene. He is joined by Geoff Mitchell, Professor of Polymer Physics at the University of Reading and by Professor Dame Julia Higgins from Imperial College London to find out about polythene’s uses, abuses and why polymers and plastics are still at the front line of scientific research. Sound Perception How does the brain process sound? How exactly can we distinguish between the clatter of cutlery or the beauty of singing. Sounds are pressure waves moving through the air, but our brains somehow manage to interpret this one-dimensional information and reconstruct the object that created it. Quentin is joined by Jan Schnupp, Neuroscientist from the University of Oxford and Sophie Scott from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience to find out how.