Sound entering the ear causes vibrations in the cochlea of the inner part of the ear. Special cells in the cochlea called outer hair cells act like little amplifiers and enhance these vibrations to sound. Professor Jonathan Ashmore was the first person to use a special method called the “patch-clamp technique” to record the movement of an outer hair cell to music. A video of the outer hair cell’s movement was first famously shown on the BBC in 1987.