Richard Collins: Sounding out what it's like to be a bat

Scientists work to learn more about bats' sophisticated echolocation and communications systems

Soprano pipistrelle bat. Picture: Tina Aughney / Bat Conservation Ireland

In 1974, the philosopher Thomas Nagel published a paper entitled 'What is it like to be a bat?'.

Much quoted ever since, the essay raised intractable old-chestnut questions, almost impossible to answer; the body-mind problem and the nature of consciousness.