Listening to and understanding heart sounds through a stethoscope is no easy task. The heart has so many different murmers and nuances depending upon the area being listened to, age and gender or the physical condition of a patients. For a doctor to learn the intricacies of each small sound is a monumental task and, ultimately, an amazing talent. In an effort to better learn the heart sounds some students are turning to pre-recorded sounds on their iPods. Dr. Michael Barrett of Temple University in Philadelphia has discovered that by listening to various heart sounds approximately 500 times, a student can learn to effectively discriminate certain heart sounds from others. Barrett produced a CD that mimicked the sounds of six abnormal heart conditions and gave it to a group of medical students, who promptly were instructed to upload  the recordings to their iPods. About two hours and 3,000 playbacks later, the students were able to correctly identify 80% of the heart sounds on a test—up from 30% before the practice listening session.