0:00:05 > 0:00:08# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go
0:00:08 > 0:00:11# Ask Nina for some help cos she's got a science show
0:00:11 > 0:00:15# She makes sense of her senses while helping all her fans
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs
0:00:17 > 0:00:19# Touch your tongue Tongue!
0:00:19 > 0:00:20# Fingers Fingers!
0:00:20 > 0:00:23# Eyes. Eyes! Ears. Ears! Nose. Nose!
0:00:23 > 0:00:26# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:26 > 0:00:29# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:29 > 0:00:33# Luke, he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch
0:00:33 > 0:00:35# Ollie sniffs out smells and Belle, she hears so much
0:00:35 > 0:00:38# Bud is Ollie's brother, he helps us with our taste
0:00:38 > 0:00:41# They're Nina's little Neurons and they're coming to your place!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43# Touch your tongue Tongue!
0:00:43 > 0:00:44# Fingers Fingers!
0:00:44 > 0:00:47# Eyes. Eyes! Ears. Ears! Nose. Nose!
0:00:47 > 0:00:51# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:51 > 0:00:54# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:54 > 0:00:56# Oh yeah! #
0:00:56 > 0:00:59# Doo doo-doo doo-doo-doo. # Ha-ha!
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Wee!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Oh, hello there. Oh-ho-ho-ho!
0:01:04 > 0:01:07I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were there. I'm listening to some music
0:01:07 > 0:01:10- on my favourite headphones. - ALARM SOUNDS
0:01:10 > 0:01:14I hear a beep, I see a flash, I wonder what they're going to ask.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- ALL: Hi, Nina! - Hi!
0:01:21 > 0:01:24- We've got a question for you. - Why do we have two ears?
0:01:24 > 0:01:27That's a great question. Why do we have two ears?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30We only have one nose and one mouth,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33so there must be a reason why we have two ears.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Come down to the lab and we'll do some experiments.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39ALL: See you soon, Nina. Bye.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43I'm going to need help to answer this one and I know who to ask.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45OK, Neurons. Time to get to work.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09OK. Today's question is - why do we have two ears?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Which Neuron do you think will be most useful in helping us?
0:02:13 > 0:02:16ALL: Me! Me! Me! Me!
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Will it be fabulous Felix?
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Will it be beautiful Belle?
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I send messages to brain from ear.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33- Will it be lovely Luke? - For looking and seeing day or night,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I'll help you with your sense of sight.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Will it be awesome Ollie?
0:02:37 > 0:02:40If it's pongy or whiffy, but you can't tell,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42my messages help your sense of smell.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Or will it be baby Bud?
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Sour, salty, bitter or sweet, I'm your taste buddy whenever you eat.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51COMPUTER BLEEPS
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Belle! - Yes!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59ALL: Go Belle! Go Belle! Go Belle! Go Belle!
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Go Belle! Go Belle! Go Belle!
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Brilliant! I'm all ears, Nina.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Today's question is - why do we have two ears?
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Belle, our hearing Neuron, will be helping me today.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Right. I need to get the lab ready before the experimenters arrive.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Lana likes singing, Finlay likes maths
0:03:23 > 0:03:25and Eve loves roast dinners,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28but they all want to know why we have two ears.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Today, for one day only, Lana, Finlay and Eve
0:03:31 > 0:03:33become the experimenters!
0:03:34 > 0:03:39- Hi, guys.- Hi, Nina. - Welcome to my science lab. Come in.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45You asked why do we have two ears, which is an excellent question.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49- But why do you want to know? - I only have one nose and one mouth.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- Why do we have two ears? - You're right.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55We do only have one of some things.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I think we need to do some investigating to find out why
0:03:58 > 0:04:02we have two ears and for our first experiment, we're using our senses.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07ALL: Whip-woo! A senses experiment! We're ready, Nina!
0:04:07 > 0:04:10When we're somewhere busy with lots of people,
0:04:10 > 0:04:11there can be lots of noise.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15This experiment will help us understand
0:04:15 > 0:04:18why having two ears can help us in a noisy place.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23I'd like you to cover up one of your ears with these special headsets.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26They stop the sound from getting to that ear.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31I have a recording of my voice with lots of other noisy sounds.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36I want you to listen carefully and figure out what I'm saying.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Are you ready, experimenters? - ALL: Yes!
0:04:39 > 0:04:44And you could cover one of your ears with the flat of your hand like this
0:04:44 > 0:04:46OK, here goes.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53VARIOUS SOUNDS NINA'S VOICE IN THE BACKGROUND
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- What sounds did you hear? - Ring-ring.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08A baby crying.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Moo.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Ha-ha! A moo! But did you hear what I was saying?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15No?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Hmm, I think we should try the experiment again,
0:05:18 > 0:05:23and this time, you'll be using both of your ears. So headsets off.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25And get ready to listen.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28VARIOUS SOUNDS NINA'S VOICE IN THE BACKGROUND
0:05:28 > 0:05:31"..Bubble and pop and...sunny days.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37"..Every day...and my favourite colour is pink."
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- What did you hear this time? - Bubbles and pop!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45My favourite colour is pink.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Every day.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- Sunny days!- Oh, brilliant!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51My noisy experiment worked!
0:05:51 > 0:05:56It's shown us that having two ears helps us to hear better.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Even when there were of different sounds, like the cow mooing,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04when you listened with both ears you were able to make out my voice
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and understand more clearly what I was saying.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11But not everyone can hear well with both ears.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14That's right, Belle. Some people find that one or both of their ears
0:06:14 > 0:06:19don't work so well. When that happens, they use a hearing aid.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21That can help them hear better.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24By wearing one of these in their ear, they can be helped
0:06:24 > 0:06:27to hear better or more clearly.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31So we've discovered that in noisy places two ears can help us
0:06:31 > 0:06:36to hear better, but there's another reason for using both our ears.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39We need to go outside. get ready to use those ears!
0:06:39 > 0:06:41ALL: Yay!
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I can't wait to see where we'll end up.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Nina said it would be a place where they'd have to use their ears.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Maybe it's somewhere with lots of musicians.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Chicka-baw-waw!
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Sharpen your senses, Neurons. We're here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06OK, experimenters. Listening carefully with both of our ears
0:07:06 > 0:07:12is really important in helping us to stay safe when we cross the road.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15When we're waiting to cross a road, we should always stop
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and use our eyes to look for cars, but we should also use both ears
0:07:19 > 0:07:22to listen carefully, to hear if a car's coming.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27But remember, young children should always cross the road with an adult.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32- Are you ready to cross the road with me?- Yes, Nina!
0:07:32 > 0:07:36OK. First we need to find a safe place to cross.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41So why is this a good place to cross the road?
0:07:41 > 0:07:45There are no parked cars and we can see in both directions.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49That's right. We should never stand between parked cars
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and we must always make sure we can clearly see in both directions.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58Let's look around for traffic and listen very carefully
0:07:58 > 0:08:02because sometimes we can hear a car before we see it.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06CAR IN THE DISTANCE I can hear a car from over there.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08So can I, Nina.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10I can see it now.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21OK, now the car has passed, let's look and listen carefully again.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28We can't see or hear anything coming, can we?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- ALL: No, Nina. - So, it's safe to cross.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36But we must keep looking and listening all the way. Come with me.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Well done, experimenters! Our brilliant ears did a great job
0:08:50 > 0:08:52helping us to cross the road safely.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56But our ears didn't just tell us a car was coming.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Did you notice they also told us where it was coming from?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Yes. We could hear it was coming from over there.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08So, our ears warned us of danger and told us where that danger was.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12This is really important in helping us to stay safe.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16But how do our two ears help us work out where noises are coming from?
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- We need to go back to the lab for one final experiment.- Yay!
0:09:22 > 0:09:25We're going to play a game using sound.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- I need a volunteer to do some listening.- I'll do it, Nina!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Brilliant! I love games!
0:09:31 > 0:09:34OK, Finlay. You're wearing a blindfold.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I want you to only use your ears for this game.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Your friends are going to be walking around in a circle.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43When you hear them make this sound...
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- TING - I want you to use your flag
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- to point where you think the sound is coming from.- OK, Nina.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Here we go. - MUSIC PLAYS
0:09:58 > 0:09:59TING
0:10:06 > 0:10:08TING
0:10:16 > 0:10:18TING
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Well done, Finlay! Your ears did a great job there.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Let's try the experiment again, but you'll only be using one ear
0:10:27 > 0:10:32because I'm going to pop on the special headset.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34This will definitely be trickier.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38TING
0:10:48 > 0:10:51TING
0:11:04 > 0:11:06TING
0:11:09 > 0:11:13OK, Finlay. You can take your headset and blindfold off now.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18You weren't always able to point to the sound this time.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Let's find out why. - I found it more difficult too,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23using one ear.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27When something makes a sound like our triangle,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30the sound reaches one ear before the other.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33The sound has to travel further to reach the second ear
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and this takes longer.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Our brains are able to work out which ear the sound reached first,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45so if it reached this ear first, then the sound must be on this side.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49And, Finlay, when you were using two ears during the experiment,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52this was how your brain was able to work out
0:11:52 > 0:11:55where the sounds were coming from.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59When we covered one ear, your brain found it harder to work out
0:11:59 > 0:12:03and you didn't always point in the right direction.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09So, your question was - why do we have two ears?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I think we've answered it.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16In busy places, when there's lots of noises all happening at once,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18listening with two ears is better than one.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23It helps us to hear and understand more sounds more easily,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25especially what people are saying.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Listening with two ears also helps us to work out
0:12:29 > 0:12:33exactly where a sound is coming from as the sound reaches the ear
0:12:33 > 0:12:37closest to it first, so I hope that's answered your question.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39ALL: Thanks, Nina! Bye!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Bye!
0:12:44 > 0:12:48If you want to find out more about the science all around us,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52go to the Nina section of the CBeebies website. Have fun!
0:12:52 > 0:12:54# Hearts beating, lungs breathing
0:12:54 > 0:12:57# Fingers feeling, mouths eating
0:12:57 > 0:12:59# And don't forget your brain!
0:12:59 > 0:13:02# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies
0:13:02 > 0:13:04# Inside and a-a-out
0:13:04 > 0:13:07# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies
0:13:07 > 0:13:09# Come on, let's find out about
0:13:09 > 0:13:12# A handy hand and bendy knees
0:13:12 > 0:13:15# Stretchy backs and noses that sneeze
0:13:15 > 0:13:17# We all have brilliant bodies
0:13:17 > 0:13:19# Brilliant bodies!
0:13:19 > 0:13:22# Every part has a job to do
0:13:22 > 0:13:25# Even scabs and earwax too
0:13:25 > 0:13:27# We all have brilliant bodies
0:13:27 > 0:13:29# Brilliant bodies!
0:13:29 > 0:13:33# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies
0:13:33 > 0:13:35# Lashes to protect our eyes
0:13:35 > 0:13:38# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies
0:13:38 > 0:13:41# And don't forget to exercise. #
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I really enjoyed myself today,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47finding out how hearing aids help some people hear better.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Ah, it's been such a great day, man,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54looking out for cars when you cross the road.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59I've had a fabby day! I loved the game with the triangle!
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Remember, everyone's body is different, but we're all brilliant!
0:14:03 > 0:14:05See you again soon! Bye!
0:14:05 > 0:14:07ALL: Bye!
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Email us subtitling@bbc.co.uk