Researchers found that dolphins and beluga whales exhibit a delay between reward anticipation and squealing, suggesting they experience pleasure. This behavior is comparable to the timing of dopamine release in humans.
A study found that listening to the sound of a ticking clock can influence women's desire to start a family at an earlier age. The effect was particularly pronounced among women from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who were more likely to prioritize having children over other life goals. Men were not affected in the same way.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a technique for generating acoustic bottles that can bend sound waves along prescribed convex trajectories. This technology has the potential to revolutionize various applications, including advanced ultrasonic imaging and therapy, acoustic cloaking, and levitation.
Researchers have developed a novel imaging technique that allows for real-time visualization of brain sound processing in mice. This breakthrough enables the study of complex neural interactions and may lead to better treatments for hearing loss.
A specific protein, protocadherin-15 CD2, is crucial for hearing by forming tip-links that convert sound into electrical signals. The absence of this protein leads to profound deafness in mice and humans, providing a major breakthrough in understanding the auditory mechanotransduction machinery.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a device that converts terahertz light into sound, enabling efficient detection and imaging in fields like airport security, medical imaging, and astronomy. The system is compact, sensitive, and works at room temperature.
Researchers found that anammox, a crucial environmental process, is almost completely absent in Narragansett Bay but present in Rhode Island Sound. This disparity suggests that bay sediments lack the necessary conditions to activate anammox.
Researchers at Disney Research have created electrostatic loudspeakers that can be printed in any shape using 3D technology, enabling objects to produce sound and even ultrasound. The technology has potential applications in interactive systems, toys, and games.
Researchers found the bio-duck sound is made by Antarctic minke whales, which stay in ice-covered waters year-round or migrate to lower latitudes. The discovery helps improve understanding of the species' distribution, abundance, and behavior.
A submarine canyon offshore from the strait that separates the U.S. and Canada supplies most of the water coming into Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada's Georgia Strait. This intense flow and mixing contribute to the region's high productivity and mysterious ocean conditions.
Researchers found that infants as young as a few months old can distinguish between word-like and non-word-like sounds, indicating a fundamental knowledge of language. This discovery challenges the traditional view that language is shaped by environment and experience.
A new study by SISSA researchers found that newborns' brains react differently to words starting with common and uncommon sounds, supporting the idea of universal language preferences. This suggests a possible biological basis for language acquisition, shaping the sound of words from birth.
Researchers discovered that alligators use air-filled channels in their ear canal to amplify pressure differences, allowing them to pinpoint the source of sounds. This mechanism is similar to birds' interaural canals and may be an evolutionary adaptation from dinosaur ancestors.
Researchers at Duke University have successfully demonstrated the world's first three-dimensional acoustic cloak, rerouting sound waves to create an illusion of emptiness. The device has potential applications in sonar avoidance and architectural acoustics, altering sound wave trajectory to match a flat surface.
Researchers found that world-class orchestras can be accurately identified by silent video footage, but not through sound recordings. Participants scored significantly better when shown video-only clips than when played audio clips, suggesting visual cues about group dynamics and leadership play a crucial role in judgment.
Researchers have created an acoustic field rotator, a device that manipulates sound waves, using metamaterials. The device can rotate sound waves in a manner similar to electromagnetic or liquid wave counterparts, which could improve the operation of medical ultrasound machines and enhance image quality.
A three-year study published in Neuroscience reveals how loud sound damage affects myelin, the protective sheet around cells, and its correlation to auditory signals failing to transmit during hearing loss. Understanding this link can help develop strategies to prevent or alleviate deafness or tinnitus symptoms.
Researchers found that individuals with dyslexia have difficulty shifting attention from visual to auditory stimuli, leading to slower response times. A new approach using action video games may improve literacy skills by training the brain to associate sounds with corresponding letters.
Researchers have designed a system-on-chip that could enable fully implanted cochlear implants, restoring hearing in individuals with profound loss. The internal unit would be wirelessly rechargeable and require lower power sound processing.
Researchers at the University of Maryland found that adult mice experienced improved hearing after simulated blindness, which could lead to new treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus. The study showed that temporary vision loss can rewire the brain's auditory system in adults, allowing for sharper sound discrimination and sensitivity.
Researchers at UT Austin develop a compact device that breaks symmetry in sound wave transmission, allowing for one-way communication. The team's design may lead to advances in noise control, sonar equipment and wireless devices.
Research reveals frog calls create ripples used by rival males to assess competition, but also detectors for predators like frog-eating bats. The study shows how complex communication can have costs and benefits through different sensory channels.
Researchers at MIT have developed flexible materials with nanoscale wrinkles that can control the wavelengths and distribution of waves, including sound and light. This technology could lead to new diagnostic tools for diseases like cancer and enable advanced noise-cancellation systems.
Experts developed a step-by-step guide to minimize seismic survey impacts on whales and other marine species. The study presents the most thorough approach to minimizing and monitoring risk of harm during intense sound surveys, primarily used by oil and gas companies.
Duke researchers found that neurons in the superior colliculus use two different strategies when responding to visual and auditory stimuli, contradicting previous theories. This discovery opens up a mystery regarding the underlying mechanism of how vision captures sound.
Researchers have discovered new abilities to manipulate light and sound using structured polymers, which could lead to breakthroughs in computing, sensing technology, and soundproofing. The findings suggest the potential for creating thin soundproofing materials that can guide rather than absorb sound.
Researchers analyzed tongue twisters to understand the brain's speech-planning processes. They found that different types of tongue twisters induced distinct speech errors, revealing key differences in brain processing.
Researchers measured sound levels at a Formula 1 track and found that without protection, spectators could reach 234% or 85.85 dB of their daily allowed noise dosage going by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The study suggests wearing good hearing protection is essential to avoid permanent damage.
Researchers found that listeners can accurately determine the relative heights of speakers just by listening to them talk, thanks to specific sounds produced in the lower airways. The key clue lies in subglottal resonances, which become progressively lower with increasing height.
Researchers have discovered a specialized sound-producing organ in koalas, located outside the voice box, which enables extremely low-pitched mating calls. The organ produces continuous sounds on inhalation and exhalation, similar to a donkey's braying.
Brazilian researchers assessed caxirola sound levels and found them comparable to a normal conversation, with only slight differences from vuvuzela noise. They also analyzed instrument vibrations, finding variations in frequency and intensity over time.
A new Stanford study overturns the long-held theory on how humans perceive sound, challenging the 30-year-old model of adaptation. The research found that calcium is not necessary for adaptation in mammalian auditory hair cells, opening up new avenues for understanding and potentially treating hearing loss.
A team of engineers has accurately modeled the whistling mechanism in a classic stovetop kettle, identifying two-mechanism process of whistle production and potential solutions to noisy plumbing issues. The study's findings reveal that swirling vortices create the siren sound, which could help eliminate annoying noises.
Researchers have developed phononic properties to control sound and heat, leading to innovative technologies such as acoustic cloaking, thermoelectrics and thermocrystals. These advancements hold promise for reducing energy consumption, environmental noise and transforming waste heat into electricity.
Researchers discovered that locusts use a unique mechanism to process sound, with energy density amplified as waves travel across the eardrum. This phenomenon could lead to practical possibilities for tiny microphones and signal processing.
A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that older adults who took music lessons as children have a faster brain response to a speech sound than those who never played an instrument. The study suggests that early musical training has a lasting, positive effect on how the brain processes sound.
Researchers in China's Nanjing University have designed a novel acoustic diode that could provide brighter and clearer ultrasound images by eliminating acoustic disturbances. The device, which uses a near-Zero Index Metamaterial, achieves one-way transmission of sound waves, crucial for medical ultrasound applications.
Researchers discovered liquid foams have low effective sound velocities, ranging from 20 to 60 meters per second, lower than its constituents. The type of foaming solution influences acoustic properties, with shaving foam showing a higher effective sound velocity.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health developed a sound preconditioning protocol that protects mice from ototoxic drug-induced hearing loss, inducing heat shock protein expression in the ear. The study suggests that sound therapy may protect hearing in patients requiring treatment with ototoxic drugs.
Researchers developed a sound preconditioning protocol that protected mice from drug-induced hearing loss and increased expression of heat shock proteins in the inner ear. This finding suggests that sound therapy may protect hearing in patients requiring treatment with ototoxic drugs.
Khaleel Razak's research aims to develop therapies for age-related hearing problems and Fragile X Syndrome by studying how the brain processes everyday sounds. His lab will investigate neural computations that generate cortical maps underlying sound localization behavior in the pallid bat.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers discovered that higher brain levels can accurately predict sound source location from electrical activity in a small population of neurons. The findings have implications for designing devices to improve hearing in noisy environments, such as restaurants or with cochlear implants.
Researchers studied brain activity in volunteers while they expected and received rewards, finding that the auditory cortex was activated during both scenarios. The findings suggest a broader role for the auditory cortex in processing expectations beyond just sound.
A study published in The Journal of Neuroscience suggests that people who can move to a beat show more consistent brain responses to speech than those with less rhythm. The findings imply that musical training could improve the brain's response to language.
A study by University of Utah bioengineers found that visual cues can dominate sound perception, leading to the McGurk effect. The team used brain signal recordings to demonstrate how vision overrides hearing in certain conditions.
Researchers developed a diagram of the brain circuitry enabling interplay between motor system and auditory system. This discovery could provide insight into schizophrenia and mood disorders, where individuals hear voices others do not.
Scientists used X-rays to determine that Gardiner's frogs use their mouth cavity and tissue to transmit sound to their inner ears. The frogs' unique auditory system allows them to hear other frogs despite lacking a traditional middle ear.
New findings reveal how hair cells amplify sound at specific frequencies, a process missing in current hearing aids. The discovery may inspire the development of next-generation cochlear implants with location- and frequency-specific amplification.
Two proteins, TMC1 and TMC2, critical for hearing were identified by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital. The study found that these proteins form channels converting sound waves into electrical signals for the brain.
A new study by Mark Scott suggests that corollary discharge, a predictive brain signal, plays a crucial role in our experiences of internal speech. The findings indicate that the internal copy of our voice produced by corollary discharge can be generated even without external sound, making us believe we hear ourselves speak.
A new study finds that certain hawkmoth species produce ultrasonic sound as a defense against bats. The researchers used high-energy lamps and pre-recorded bat sounds to capture the insects' behavior, revealing a system that jams the echolocation ability of their predators.
A new test could use sound waves to diagnose blood-related diseases by analyzing the shape and size of red blood cells. Researchers have developed a method that can identify irregularly shaped red blood cells with high confidence, which is a significant indicator of blood-related diseases.
Researchers found that fine emotional learning tasks produce greater learning specificity in mice, improving pitch discrimination abilities. The study established a link between emotions and perception of the world, with effects mediated by brain regions including the amygdala and auditory cortex.
Research finds that boat noise can scare fish away from their habitats, disrupting ecosystem balance. The study suggests regulating human activities in protected areas to mitigate the impact of noise pollution on marine communities.
A study from Karolinska Institutet found that our imagination can affect how we experience the world, changing our actual perception. The research used illusions to test the impact of mental imagery on sensory perception.
A team from EPFL has developed a computer algorithm that can create a 3D model of a simple room based on sound picked up by four microphones. The algorithm uses the differences in signal time to calculate distances between microphones, walls, and the sound source.
Researchers at Wake Forest University found that tiger moths can detect an increase in a bat's cry rate and sound intensity, triggering the moth's defense mechanism. The study shows that the tiger moth's tymbal can jam the bat's sonar up to 93% of the time, allowing it to evade attack.
A new system of inflatable sound absorbers can modify a performance hall's acoustics to accommodate various musical styles, such as classical and rock. The technology has been shown to lower reverberation times by up to 45% in relevant frequency bands.
Researchers have studied cicadas to understand their sound production, which is unique in the insect world. The cicada's chirp is nonlinear and involves a ribbed membrane that vibrates when its body deforms.
Researchers from UT Austin found that small fires can muffle the PASS device's alarm, merging its two distinct whistles into one. Increasing the alarm volume may help mitigate this issue.