ScientificBlogging.com has a story that I’d suspect was an April Fools if this wasn’t the middle of summer. Supposedly, like our intelligent cousins to the seas, humans are capable of using echolocation to “see” sounds:
In order to learn how to emit, receive and interpret sounds, the scientists are developing a method that uses a series of protocols. This first step is for the individual to know how to make and identify his or her own sounds (they are different for each person), and later to know how to use them to distinguish between objects according to their geometrical properties “as is done by ships’ sonar.”
Some blind people had previously taught themselves how to use echolocation by trial and error. The best-known cases of these are the Americans Daniel Kish, the only blind person to have been awarded a certificate to act as a guide for other blind people, and Ben Underwood, who was considered to be the world’s best “echolocator” until he died at the start of 2009.
However, no special physical skills are required in order to develop this skill. “Two hours per day for a couple of weeks are enough to distinguish whether you have an object in front of you, and within another two weeks you can tell the difference between trees and a pavement,” Martínez told SINC.
The scientist recommends trying with the typical “sh” sound used to make someone be quiet. Moving a pen in front of the mouth can be noticed straightaway.