What is it like to be a bat? To sleep upside down, eat insects and use sound to ‘see’? The question is not as frivolous at it seems. Philosophers debate it at length as a way to think about minds and experiences. Still, a classic philosophy paper from 1974 argues that such an experience is ultimately off-limits for humans (T. Nagel Philos. Rev. 83, 435–450; 1974). “It will not help to try to imagine,” it says, “that one has very poor vision, and perceives the surrounding world by a system of reflected high-frequency sound signals.” Fiona Gameson does not have to imagine. Blind since the age of three, when she had both eyes removed because of a rare childhood cancer called retinoblastoma, she has learned to echolocate. She can navigate and see with sounds, just as bats do. Fiona echolocates with a series of clicks — she pulls her tongue away from the roof of her mouth to make a sharp ‘tick-tick’ sound. Then she listens for the echoes that bounce off objects around her, revealing their physical properties. In this way, she can navigate an unfamiliar house, for example, to find the bathroom at night without waking her hosts. Words do not reflect her subtlety and skill. Only hearing her echo­locate can do her story justice. Perhaps a more useful question for the rest of us, then, is what is it like to be Fiona Gameson? Showing us is the aim of the first episode in a new series of audio documentaries on Nature’s podcast that explore sound science in the medium that suits it best. The series, Audiofile, begins next week. The inaugural episode explores Fiona’s remarkable ability, what we can really know about being a bat, and the limits of human perception. Subsequent monthly episodes will offer listeners sound-rich stories on the effects of noise on human health, archaeoacoustics and the impact of music on science. They will be available at go.nature.com/6stdre from 12 January. Acoustic science is wide in scope and often practical in focus: at the twice-yearly meetings of the Acoustical Society of America, sessions exploring marine-mammal communication frequently run alongside lectures on architectural design and noise pollution. Until now, however, experiments in acoustics have been rarely showcased in Nature. These stories deserve to be heard. Audiophiles, lend us your ears.