For the vast majority of the 200,000 years humans have been on the earth, let alone its first 4.6 billion years of existence, the sonic story has been a fleeting, unrepeatable live show. Miss it, and you missed out. But now, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated cohort of scientists, historians and musicians, some of the world's most weird and wonderful ‘lost sounds’ are making a comeback. Mary-Ann Ochota meets the people who are bringing sounds of the past to life through the technology of the present.