Unexplainable The Sound Barrier #4: Listen to the universe
4 snips
Nov 12, 2025 Wanda Diáz-Merced, a trailblazing astronomer who lost her sight, shares her transformative journey into the sounds of space. She developed techniques to convert astronomical data into sound, uncovering hidden discoveries. Alongside Kim Arcand, a visualization scientist at NASA, they discuss how sonification makes data more accessible and enhances understanding of celestial phenomena. They reveal how sound has led to breakthroughs like the gamma-ray burst resonances and the cosmic microwave background, reshaping both astronomy and accessibility.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Backyard Radio Sparked A New Path
- Wanda Diaz-Merced heard real-time radio emissions from the sun through a backyard antenna and thought it was horrible noise at first.
- That moment transformed her: she realized she could still study space by listening instead of seeing.
Pigeons, Hiss, And The Big Bang
- Robert Wilson and his partner heard a persistent hiss in their microwave antenna and ruled out local sources, even pigeons in the dish.
- That hiss later became the discovery of the cosmic microwave background, evidence for the Big Bang.
Sound As A Legitimate Data Channel
- Sonification translates any data into sound to augment human perception beyond sight.
- It enables detection of patterns that visuals alone can miss.