From moth wings to sound absorbers | The Story Behind

How did a moth in Costa Rica lead to a new generation of sound-absorbing materials?

In the first episode of The Story Behind, we follow Professor Marc Holderied from the biology that started it all to ultra-thin acoustic materials, working prototypes and a University of Bristol spin-out.
Inspired by the microscopic structures found on moth wings, the technology is being developed through Attacus Acoustics, with potential applications across buildings, transport, aerospace and manufacturing.
The film explores how moths avoid detection by bats, the experiments used to understand how their wings absorb sound, and how this research could help reduce noise in everyday spaces.