Throughout history, hearing and sound perception have been typically framed in the context of how sound conveys information and how that information influences the listener. "Hear Where We Are" inverts this premise and examines how humans and other hearing animals use sound to establish acoustical relationships with their surroundings. This simple inversion reveals a panoply of possibilities by which we can re-evaluate how hearing animals use, produce, and perceive sound. Nuance in vocalizations become signals of enticement or boundary setting; silence becomes a field ripe in auditory possibilities; predator/prey relationships are infused with acoustic deception, and sounds that have been considered territorial cues become the fabric of cooperative acoustical communities. This inversion also expands the context of sound perception into a larger perspective that centers on biological adaptation within acoustic habitats. Here, the rapid synchronized flight patterns of flocking birds and the tight maneuvering of schooling fish becomes an acoustic engagement. Likewise, when stridulating crickets synchronize their summer evening chirrups, it has more to do with the ‘cricket community’ monitoring their collective boundaries rather than individual crickets establishing ‘personal’ territory or breeding fitness. In "Hear Where We Are" the author continuously challenges many of the bio-acoustic orthodoxies, reframing the entire inquiry into sound perception and communication. By moving beyond our common assumptions, many of the mysteries of acoustical behavior become revealed, exposing a fresh and fertile panorama of acoustical experience and adaptation.

This title makes possible a deep intuitive understanding of many aspects of sound, as opposed to the usual approach of mere description. This goal is aided by hundreds of original illustrations and examples, many of which the reader can reproduce and adjust using the same tools used by the author.

Pondering the musicality of everything from bird songs to the language he calls "motherese," Dr. Witchel illustrates the power of music and addresses the questions: Why do we have music? What does music do to our emotions? Can animals hear and understand music? What does music do to your brain? Why do people listen to sad music? Why do some people like classical but others only like heavy metal? Is there some essential feature to all music?You Are What You Hearis an erudite and entertaining study that is unique in many ways. No other book has thoroughly elaborated the connection between music and social territory in humans, although in other music-making species scientists have shown this connection to be clear-cut. Given the wealth of scientific evidence and historical narratives presented inYou Are What You Hear, an intellectual investigation of this avenue is long overdue. Written by a psychobiologist, the work straddles hard science and psychology, approaching music from a unique interdisciplinary perspective. Successfully bridging these strands of evidence,You Are What You Hearelucidates the significance of territory not only in music but in daily life. This lively and engaging book will have a broad appeal — not only to the general public, but to students interested in the relationship between music and culture. Anyone from seventeen to ninety-seven will have the potential to gain something from this book.

This book explains the nature of sound both as a physical phenomenon and as a sensation, how it travels through air and water, and how the hearing system evolved to convert these vibrations into sensations. Drawing on physics, biology, neuroscience, philosophy, literature, history, anecdote, and personal experience, "Now Hear This" is a wide-ranging exploration of the nature of sound and hearing that opens up a fascinating world of sounds from the mundane to the unusual and seeks above all to persuade the reader of the wisdom of John Cage’s advice that “Wherever we are what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it fascinating.”

“A skilled science translator, Denworth makes decibels, teslas and brain plasticity understandable to all.”—Washington Post Lydia Denworth’s third son, Alex, was nearly two when he was identified with significant hearing loss that was likely to get worse. Denworth knew the importance of enrichment to the developing brain but had never contemplated the opposite: deprivation. How would a child’s brain grow outside the world of sound? How would he communicate? Would he learn to read and write? An acclaimed science journalist as well as a mother, Denworth made it her mission to find out, interviewing experts on language development, inventors of groundbreaking technology, Deaf leaders, and neuroscientists at the frontiers of brain plasticity research. I Can Hear You Whisper chronicles Denworth’s search for answers—and her new understanding of Deaf culture and the exquisite relationship between sound, language, and learning.

In Robin Epstein's thriller, Kassandra Black is sent to work in her great-uncle Brian's lab at Henley University. She's helping with his HEAR (Henley Engineering Anomalies Research) program. But as she gets to know the other HEAR students, it becomes clear that she overlooked the Anomalies part of their acronym - Brian is guaging their ESP capacity. Kass really can communicate telepathically; she can even see the future. When one of her fellow HEAR students is murdered, Kass must try to forget everything she knows about herself and trust those who share her gift.