The introductory chapter of “Science and Music” was a pleasant throwback to human anatomy in describing the evolution and physiological workings of the human ear. I initially wasn’t particularly fascinated about this. However, as the reading went by I realized how amazing were some of Jean’s explanations. For one, the fact that human civilizations from all times have recognized the pleasure given by sound and created music in different forms. Realizing how our hearing ability evolved from a fish’s capacity to sense water pressure was very interesting. Moreover, just reading about how complex the physical act of listening actually is also pretty mind-blowing. I liked Jean’s comparison of the human ear to a telephone. It really gives a quick understanding of the system: “Telephone transforms these currents into motions of the diaphragm, and so acts in just the opposite way to the ear, which transforms motions of the ear-drum into electric currents”. His final discussion of how sound is loss everywhere (through electricity channels, airy environments, or our brain’s selections) is also very relevant in the context of our class: How can we produce sound pieces and preserve and present them in the best way possible?