sounds

13 Stories

These Tiny Fish Are Louder Than Elephants
These Tiny Fish Are
Loud as a Gunshot
NEW STUDY
Feb 27, 2024 10:57 AM CST

These Tiny Fish Are Loud as a Gunshot

And elephants, according to new research on Danionella cerebrum

(Newser) - Often in nature, the larger the animal, the louder the noise. The sperm whale, for instance, can make clicks as loud as 200 decibels , while the elephant can trumpet as loud as 117 decibels . But as we know, nature is full of surprises, and in one such surprise, researchers have...

We Like Hearing Nice Sounds in Our Left Ears
Want to Whisper Something
Nice? Use the Left Ear
New Study
May 28, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Want to Whisper Something Nice? Use the Left Ear

Researchers find a pronounced preference through brain scans

(Newser) - If you've ever noticed a subtle bias toward your left ear when enjoying some pleasant singing or the mellifluous voice of your favorite podcaster, it's not just you. IFL cites a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience that details how a team of Swiss researchers discovered that our...

In 'Hatred of Sounds' Condition, Sound May Not Be the Issue

Study finds unusual brain connections in misophonia sufferers

(Newser) - Scientists are getting closer to unlocking the secrets behind a common condition marked by hypersensitive reactions to everyday sounds, like breathing or chewing. Misophonia, meaning "hatred of sounds" and which affects up to 20% of people , has long been thought to be a disorder of sound emotion processing, in...

France to City Folk: Deal With Sounds of the Countryside

Senate passes law to protect rural areas' 'sensory heritage'

(Newser) - In an attempt to stop rural French neighbors from being at each other's throats, France has just passed a law to protect the nation's "sensory heritage." What that means, in essence, per CNN : Weekenders visiting from more urban areas won't be able to stifle most...

Tesla Just Turned Its Cars Into Giant Boomboxes

Software update produces such car horn sounds as applause, bleating goats, and, yes, farting

(Newser) - Ever wanted to express your displeasure at fellow drivers by farting at them? If you're the owner of a Tesla, your dream may have just come true. Announced by company CEO Elon Musk on Christmas Day, the newest software update from the electric car manufacturer features "Boombox" mode,...

It's Getting Harder to Find the 'Call of the Wild'
It's Getting Harder
to Find the 'Call
of the Wild'
STUDY SAYS
May 5, 2017 8:07 AM CDT

It's Getting Harder to Find the 'Call of the Wild'

Those peaceful sounds we love in Mother Nature are getting drowned out by humans

(Newser) - The call of the wild is getting harder to hear. Peaceful natural sounds—bird songs, rushing rivers, rustling grass—are being drowned out by noise from people in many of America's protected parks and wilderness areas, a new study in the journal Science finds. Scientists measured sound levels in...

What Roar? Some Dinosaurs Likely Cooed

They perhaps made 'closed-mouth vocalizations' like birds

(Newser) - Dinosaurs may have been much more like modern birds than we knew—and not just because some had feathers . A new study suggests that mighty dinosaurs of yore didn't roar, contrary to every dinosaur movie you've ever seen. Instead, they made a decidedly less scary sound called a...

Concentrating Really Does Make You Go 'Deaf'

Brain's association cortex chooses whether to hear or see

(Newser) - Here's proof that you aren't just ignoring your spouse: A new study out of University College London finds you can become temporarily deaf when focusing on a visual task, like reading a book, watching TV, or perusing your smartphone, reports Tech Times . "In order to hear, we...

This Is What It's Like to 'Hate Sound'

Experts say up to 20% of people may suffer from misophonia

(Newser) - Does a loud chewer drive you crazy—to the point that you'd rather leave the room than endure the chomping? It turns out you might be the one with the problem. Researchers say people with an extreme aversion to certain sounds—like chewing, foot-tapping, or sniffing—may suffer from...

Scientists Finally Know What Sound a Giraffe Makes

It's a low-frequency hum

(Newser) - What does the giraffe say? For decades it’s been a simple answer: nothing, except for a snort or grunt every now and then. Though giraffes have a voice box, one line of thought was that due to their long necks it was too difficult for the creatures to generate...

Museum Preserves Long-Lost Tech Sounds

Museum of Endangered Sounds keeps noises from the '80s and '90s

(Newser) - Ah, for that clack of a 3.5-inch floppy disk fitting into its drive. Or the wistful piano tones of Windows 95 starting up. Anyone missing these retro tech sounds can visit the Museum of Endangered Sounds , where noises from Reagan- and Clinton-era technology are being preserved, the Washington Post...

Among 25 Newly Honored US Sounds: 'Purple Rain'

Only-known audio of ex-slaves also joins National Recording Registry

(Newser) - America's archived history just got a little noisier: 25 sounds that shaped the American cultural landscape are being inducted into the National Recording Registry. The additions are being announced today by the Library of Congress. Among them:
  • A handful of pop/rock songs: Donna Summer's 1977 hit "I
...

New Theory: Music Holds Clue to Stonehenge

Location of pillars has to do with 'auditory illusion' of sound waves

(Newser) - The solution to the riddle of Stonehenge could be music, proposes a California researcher. It's a little abstract: Steven Waller says the people who laid out the mysterious monuments may have been inspired by their perception of sound, reports the BBC . If you put two people playing flutes in...

13 Stories