It's a tunefull programme this week, as we look at our response to music and at how we might build the perfect instrument.

Music Maestro 1

From a nursery rhyme to a fugue, even the simplest tune causes the brain to perform some astonishing gymnastics. How we as humans respond to music is the subject of a new book by Philip Ball called The Music Instinct. He explains to presenter Adam Walton what is going on in our heads when we listen.

Music Maestro 2

Staying on the subject, what makes a good piece of music sound great? Is it the musician or the instrument? And what makes a particular instrument a star amongst its peers? Dr Bernard Richardson has been studying this at the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. He's compiling a database of fundamental parameters which will help us to understand what makes a desirable musical instrument.

Remarkable rock

Not the musical kind, but the isle of Anglesey, in North Wales. Last year Anglesey - or Ynys Mon - became the first island in Europe to be awarded GeoPark status in recognition of its geological significance. With rocks spanning four Eras and 12 Geological periods, 1,800 million years of history has fashioned more than 100 rock types on the island. The managing director of GeoMon, Dr Margaret Wood, tells Adam why they are training specialist guides to take interested parties on geological tours of the island.

Space ace

Dr David Whitehouse, the former BBC space and science correspondent, returns to the programme to talk about the implications of President Obama's decision to cancel the Constellation Space Programme. It may mean no return to the moon in the near future, but the commercial spaceflight industry could be a beneficiary.