Researchers found that sound-shape associations, such as the bouba-kiki effect, are formed during a sensitive period of visual development in early childhood. Participants with congenital or late-onset blindness did not form these associations, while those with normal vision showed evidence of reliable sound-shape associations.
A new study suggests that chronic conductive hearing loss due to middle-ear infections can lead to neural deficits and difficulties in noisy environments. Researchers found patients with longstanding conductive hearing impairment had lower speech-recognition scores on the affected side, even when speech was audible.
Researchers have developed a new generation of integrated circuits that utilize the interaction between light and sound to revolutionize 5G networks, sensor systems, satellite communication, radar systems, and radio astronomy. This third-wave technology offers immense technological applications and opportunities for pure scientific inv...
A University of Sussex research team has developed a personal sound projector that can track a moving individual and deliver an acoustic message in real-time. The system uses a low-cost camera to focus sound on a target, creating a sphere of sound around 6cm in diameter.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine identified two proteins, Activin A and follistatin, that precisely regulate hair cell birth in the mammalian inner ear. This discovery may lead to future therapies for restoring hearing in individuals with irreversible deafness.
Researchers found that bats can distinguish insect from leaf by approaching at optimal angles, exploiting echo reflection on leaves. The study has implications for predator-prey interactions and echolocation.
Researchers recreated barn owl brain circuitry in electronics, mimicking the ability to locate prey using sound to within one to two degrees. The electronic circuit can supersede the owl's precision by orders of magnitude and may lead to more accurate and energy-efficient navigation devices.
Researchers create device that exploits quantum principles to detect phonons, enabling precise measurement of individual sound particles and paving the way for new types of quantum devices. This breakthrough could lead to more compact and efficient quantum computers that operate by manipulating sound rather than light.
Researchers found that infants as young as 10.5 months can recognize communication through variable sound sequences, leading to increased attention towards target shapes in interactions with agents. This ability may play a crucial role in language acquisition and social-cognitive development.
Researchers found that auroral crackling sounds are generated by magnetic storms and Schumann resonances, which activate sound waves in the atmosphere. The study used data from 25 sound events measured in Southern Finland during active Northern Lights displays.
A new study reveals that age-related and noise-induced hearing losses affect the brain's sound processing differently. Researchers found that mild noise-induced hearing loss causes similar processing impairment as moderate to severe age-related hearing loss.
Scientists developed new theory capturing second sound phenomenon in quantum liquids, showing it can be faster than first sound. Theoretical approach uses squeezed-field path integral description, applicable to various phenomena at quantum-classical physics interface.
A small pilot study found that sound stimulation played during specific times of deep sleep enhanced slow-wave sleep in people with mild cognitive impairment. Participants who showed the greatest improvement in deep sleep also recalled more words on a memory test the next morning.
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology developed a skin-attachable vibration sensor for accurate voice recognition. The sensor can quantify voice pressure and recognize speech without ambient noise or sound distortion.
Researchers compared traditional bird survey methods to modern sound recording devices, finding that machines can accurately measure population densities and map species territories. The study provides a systematic overview of available recording devices and user guides for scientists to sample animal populations acoustically.
Researchers developed a machine-learning method to quantify semantic richness of conversational language, predicting psychosis with high accuracy. They analyzed sound-related words and low semantic density, detecting hidden patterns in people's language predictive of psychosis.
Researchers observe acoustic spin in airborne sound waves, leading to new physics and applications for emerging topics in fundamental physics and acoustics. The discovery enables the control of particle rotation with torque and holds promise for acoustic communication.
A physics professor at Case Western Reserve University has developed a theory that explains how basic ordered patterns emerge in music using statistical mechanics. The theory reveals that the same principles guiding physical systems also govern musical harmony, shedding new light on the fundamental structure of music.
Scientists from RMIT University have created a clean, green technique to produce customised MOFs in minutes, harnessing the precision power of high-frequency sound waves. This innovative approach avoids traditional methods' environmental impacts and produces ready-to-use MOFs quickly and sustainably.
The new ISO TS 12913 standard provides a framework for identifying optimal dining spaces, including binaural sound recording for immersive evaluation. Restaurants present a challenge due to varying noise levels, but the guidelines address this with psychoacoustics and diner feedback.
A new smartphone-based platform can quickly detect possible ear infections in children by analyzing reflected acoustic signals. The system uses a commercial phone's speakers and microphones to send sound into the ear canal, detecting middle ear fluid with high accuracy.
A new CDC study cautions that sports whistles used by referees, coaches, and others are a risk factor for hearing loss. The study measured the acoustic signature of 13 whistle brands, finding sound levels between 100-120 decibels, which can exceed safe daily exposure within just a few seconds.
Acoustic researcher Dan Costley presents on WWI's sound ranging method, which pinpointed enemy gun locations to within 10 meters. The technique used innovative solutions like the Tucker microphone and 'harp' galvanometer, credited to Bragg's scientific leadership.
Researchers have created devices that manipulate sound in the same way as light, creating opportunities for entertainment and public communication. They've demonstrated a dynamic metamaterial device with a zoom objective and built a collimator to transmit sound as a directional beam.
Researchers found that blind individuals have narrower neural tuning in the auditory cortex, allowing them to extract more information from sound. Additionally, the brain's hMT+ region is recruited to track moving objects in space using sound.
A team of researchers at RIT has developed a phonon laser for sound using the optical tweezer technique, which could lead to breakthroughs in sensing and information processing. The device uses an optically levitated nanoparticle to create a laser-like situation, enabling the investigation of fundamental quantum physics.
Researchers found that the syrinx's position at the end of the airway enhances vocal efficiency, allowing birds to communicate more effectively. This unique feature enables birds to amplify their sounds using their long necks as resonators, giving them an advantage in attracting mates and warning off predators.
Yale researchers have developed a new technology that allows sound to flow in one direction, enabling the control of acoustic resonators. This discovery offers possibilities for enhancing electronic devices that use these resonators. The technology also enables the controlled flow of heat from one object to another.
A comparative animal study published in JNeurosci found that alligators encode sound location like birds but differently than mammals. The reptile's brain constructs neural maps to chart sound location, a feature observed in close relatives of the alligator, but not in mammals.
Researchers found alligators build neural maps of sound like birds do, indicating a common ancestor with dinosaurs shared this hearing strategy. The study suggests that the strategy may be more related to common ancestry than physical features such as skull size.
A team of researchers, led by Sungyoung Kim, is developing a comprehensive method to preserve and reconstruct the 'sound signature' of cultural heritage sites. The project focuses on auralization, which simulates unique acoustical environments in virtual or physical spaces, and aims to provide non-expert humanities researchers with dig...
Scientists have observed a new mode of heat transport in graphite, known as second sound, which behaves like sound when moving through the material. At temperatures above 80K, heat travels through graphite as a wave, cooling points instantly and carrying heat away at close to the speed of sound.
University at Buffalo aerospace engineer James Chen is working on a new study that aims to solve problems associated with exceeding the sound barrier. The research focuses on Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann's classical kinetic theory, which uses gas molecules to explain everyday phenomena.
A team of researchers from Duke University and Aalto University has developed a device called a meta-mirror that can perfectly reflect sound waves in any direction. The device uses metamaterials to control the speed and amplitude of sound waves, allowing it to steer them towards desired directions.
Boston University researchers created an open, ringlike structure that perfectly cancels out sounds while maintaining airflow, silencing nearly all noise from a loudspeaker. The acoustic metamaterial can be customized to fit various environments, including drones, fans, and MRI machines.
The researchers created an artificial macroscopic crystal inspired by Japanese baskets, emulating the valley-Hall effect in quantum physics. This led to unexpected properties for acoustics, including incredible resistance against defects and curves.
Researchers at the University of Bath use sound waves to levitate particles, discovering multiple shapes they can assemble into when brought together. The team found that changing sound-wave frequency can manipulate clusters and influence emergent shape.
Researchers identified protocadherin 15 as a key protein responsible for converting bending forces from sound waves into electrical signals. This discovery sheds new light on the causes of hearing loss and how sound is transmitted to the brain.
A new analytical model predicts Helmholtz cavity's sound spectrum with high accuracy, enabling efficient design of noise-cancelling systems. The model is optimized for low speed airflows and low frequencies, allowing for modular investigation of complex geometries.
A study found that white-tailed deer feeding habits shape acoustic properties of their forest habitat, influencing songbird vocalizations. Deer browsing reduces understory vegetation density, leading to improved sound fidelity and clearer information transmission.
Scientists have identified a brain pathway that underlies an effective therapy for sustainably reducing traumatic memories. The study found that alternating bilateral sensory stimulation (ABS) induces a persistent fear reduction by activating the superior colliculus and mediodorsal thalamic nucleus pathways, which suppresses fear expre...
Researchers at Cornell University found that mosquitoes can detect sound waves from distances of up to 10 meters, including human speech and the buzzing of female mosquitoes in flight. This discovery could lead to the development of more sensitive directional microphones and hearing aids.
A team at Northumbria University discovered a distinctive marker on magnetic waves in the Sun's corona, indicating that sound waves from inside the Sun excite these waves. This finding suggests a new fundamental constant of the Sun and has significant implications for our understanding of stellar atmospheres.
Bats use rain noise as a salient informational cue to inform their decision making about emerging from roosts. This study shows that noise can be beneficial for animals, providing important information about their environment and when it's safe to hunt.
A genus of deaf moth has evolved a novel sound-producing structure in its wings to warn bats of its presence. The discovery suggests that the moths are acoustically mimicking unpalatable, sound-producing moths to deter bats.
Researchers at the University of Connecticut created a sensor using iron oxide nanoparticles in silicone that can detect pressure, temperature, and vibration, as well as magnetic fields and sound waves. The sensor could potentially help burn victims feel again and serve as an early warning for workers exposed to high magnetic fields.
Scientists have demonstrated a laser-based method to transmit sound waves over long distances without requiring any type of receiver, targeting individuals with precision. The technology uses the photoacoustic effect and can be scaled up for longer distances.
A gel-like structure in the inner ear moves according to a sound's frequency, allowing detection of faint sounds Researchers at MIT found that the size and arrangement of pores within the tectorial membrane make it highly selective, amplifying middle frequencies while reducing high and low tones
A team of researchers has created a metamaterial that can transport sound in unusually robust ways along its edges and localize it at its corners. This unique property may improve technologies like sonars and ultrasound devices, making them more resistant to defects.
A study found that auditory stimulation affects responses to tactile stimulation in mice and rats, highlighting the interconnectedness of senses. The findings suggest that the barrel cortex, which processes touch, also treats auditory stimuli separately, leading to enhanced detection of prey or predators in nocturnal animals.
A team of researchers has successfully demonstrated the 'strong-coupling regime' between light and high-frequency acoustic vibrations in a tiny glass structure. By overcoming friction-like processes, they were able to observe signatures of the light-sound dance and pave the way for future experiments at near-absolute zero temperatures.
Researchers propose using sound-based network management for tasks like datacenter server fan failure detection, authentication, load balancing and congestion notification. Music-defined networking leverages sounds from real or virtual devices to augment existing network components with sound capabilities.
Researchers at KU Leuven devised an elegant way to use sound waves to keep chemicals flowing in miniature reactors. The technology improved efficiency by forcing particles into the center of channels, mixing them, and stopping clogging.
Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that coral reefs' soundscape influences coral larvae's choice of settlement, with healthy reefs having more fish sounds attracting larvae. The study suggests using sound to aid in coral reef preservation and potentially rebuild damaged reefs.
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory found that brain cells in mice associate sounds with emotions through experience and learning. The amygdala, a key brain region, shows specific patterns of neuron activity when animals are trained to fear or anticipate rewards.
University of Michigan researchers have developed a technique to reveal hidden information in sound waves by shifting frequencies, allowing for improved detection and tracking capabilities in sonar systems. This breakthrough could enhance performance in naval vessels and medical imaging devices, such as biomedical ultrasound.
A University of Alberta study found that two types of word predictors determine funniness: form predictors measure word sound and writing similarity, while semantic predictors relate to emotions and categories like sex and bodily functions.
Researchers found that imagining a sound can effectively remove negative associations, with brain activity parallels seen in both real and imagined extinction conditions. This study sheds light on the power of imagination as a therapy tool for anxiety disorders.
Whales and dolphins use a narrow beam of high intensity sound to find food in dark or murky waters; size affects the ability to focus this sense.
Researchers at the University of Bristol discovered that moth wing scales can absorb echolocation sound frequencies used by bats. The finding could lead to development of thin and lightweight resonant sound absorbers.