Humans, sparrows make sense of sounds in similar ways
Researchers found that swamp sparrows can perceive sound categories in context, a skill shared with humans. This ability may be crucial for understanding how human language arose.
Sound
Articles tagged with Sound
Research studies role native language plays in processing words in new languages
Research at the University of Kansas explores how native language impacts processing auditory words in a second language. Annie Tremblay's study investigates cues that signal word beginnings and endings, finding that some cues are easier to pick up than others.
Even in our digital age, early parental writing support is key to children's literacy
A Tel Aviv University study finds that early parental writing support is instrumental in improving a child's literacy level, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. The research recommends 'scaffolding' parental mediation to promote correct writing habits among preschoolers.
So, you think you can clap to the beat?
Researchers discovered that beat-deafness is a problem of synchronizing with sounds, not just motor skills. Beat-deaf individuals can perceive rhythms but struggle when moving to the beat, indicating deficits in biological rhythms.
Improving babies' language skills before they're even old enough to speak
A Rutgers researcher trained 4-month-old babies to recognize important sound patterns, accelerating the development of their brain maps. This allowed them to process language more efficiently and accurately at 7 months old.
Research letter: Viewers ate more while watching Hollywood action flick on TV
A study of 94 undergraduate students found that viewers who watched an excerpt from a Hollywood action film ate 98% more grams of food and 65% more calories than those watching an interview program. The authors suggest that the distracting content of action films may lead to decreased attention to eating and increased food consumption.
Can action movies make you fat?
A new study by Cornell University finds that action movies can increase food consumption and calorie intake, with participants eating 98% more snacks during an action movie than a talk show
Caffeine intake associated with lower incidence of tinnitus
A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that higher caffeine intake is associated with a lower incidence of tinnitus in younger and middle-aged women. Researchers tracked over 65,000 women for 18 years and discovered a significant inverse association between caffeine consumption and reported tinnitus cases.
Try, try again? Study says no
A recent study suggests that adults' more highly developed cognitive skills can actually interfere with their ability to learn certain elements of a second language. This 'effort paradox' is thought to occur when adults try to analyze too much information at once, leading to difficulties in learning the morphology of an artificial lang...
Hear Jane read: Rutgers University-Newark researcher gives new meaning to semantics
A Rutgers University-Newark researcher is studying skilled readers to determine whether their choice of word meaning vs. word sounds impacts their reading ability. He found that good readers differ in how they use word meanings when reading aloud, with variations even among the most proficient readers.
Months before their first words, babies' brains rehearse speech mechanics
Research shows that infants' brains stimulate areas for motor movements of speech at 7-11 months, laying groundwork for word formation. This practice may contribute to the developmental transition to native language sensitivity.
NASA sees Hurricane Arthur's cloud-covered eye
NASA's Aqua satellite captured a cloud-covered eye of Tropical Storm Arthur, which strengthened into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. The storm's center was expected to approach the coast in the hurricane warning area tonight, July 3.
NASA's TRMM satellite spots heavy rainfall around Tropical Storm Arthur's center
Heavy rainfall was spotted by NASA's TRMM satellite around Tropical Storm Arthur's center on July 1, with rates reaching up to 2 inches per hour. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane over the next two days, affecting the southern U.S. coastline.
We speak as we feel -- we feel as we speak
A team of researchers found that the articulation of vowels systematically influences our feelings and vice versa. The study revealed that words containing the long 'i' vowel tend to occur in positive emotional contexts, while those with the long 'o' vowel are associated with negative emotions.
People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report
People with tinnitus process emotions differently in the brain from those with normal hearing, according to a study led by University of Illinois professor Fatima Husain. The study found that patients with tinnitus showed more activity in two brain regions associated with emotion, while having lower activity in the amygdala.
Sound and vision: Visual cortex processes auditory information too
Researchers found that the visual cortex uses auditory input to predict incoming information, enhancing its ability to focus on surprising events. This discovery could provide insights into mental health conditions such as schizophrenia or autism.
UT Dallas study sheds light on how infants understand speech
A new UT Dallas study explores how infants process degraded speech with cochlear implants, revealing they need more complete speech information to maximize communication outcomes. Infants can distinguish between familiar and new sounds, but require less distortion and more frequency information than older children and adults.
In recognizing speech sounds, the brain does not work the way a computer does
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital found that the brain decides whether sound combinations are permissible by referencing known words, rather than applying abstract rules. This new understanding may lead to better comprehension of how brain processes are disrupted in stroke patients with aphasia.
Professional musicians run almost fourfold risk of noise induced deafness
Research published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine found professional musicians are almost four times as likely to develop noise-induced hearing loss and 57% more likely to experience tinnitus. Repeated exposure to loud music can lead to permanent damage, emphasizing the need for protective measures.
R.I. nitrogen cycle differs in bay and sound
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.
Connecticut River watershed study will assess impacts of extreme rain events
Researchers will investigate how extreme rain events affect the transport of dissolved organic matter through the Connecticut River watershed, potentially impacting water quality and mercury inputs. The study aims to test a new conceptual framework for drainage networks and understand regional-scale dynamics of river systems.
Our brains are hardwired for language
A groundbreaking study reveals that the human brain is sensitive to language universals, with frequent syllables processed more readily than infrequent ones. The brain's response to ill-formed syllables points to a universal linguistic principle governing sound patterns in human language.
Lemurs match scent of a friend to sound of her voice
Ring-tailed lemurs can match scents with sounds from the same female, indicating a stronger response when both cues are present. This ability may aid lemurs in detecting nearby individuals, as scents can linger after the animal has left the area.
Puget Sound's rich waters supplied by deep, turbulent canyon
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.
Language structure ... you're born with it
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.
Universal syllables
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.
Would you believe your hand could turn into marble?
Researchers induce a bodily illusion where participants' hands feel stiffer and heavier, showing the brain can quickly update its perception of body material. This study reveals multisensory integration can alter perceived body properties, which may help explain how tools and prostheses integrate into our body schemas.
Study: Greater music dynamics in shoebox-shaped concert halls
Researchers found that shoebox-shaped concert halls can enhance musical dynamics due to strong lateral reflections. This design could lead to better concert hall designs, improving the transmission of orchestra played dynamics.
Humans have a poor memory for sound
Researchers at the University of Iowa found that humans tend to forget sounds they hear, rather than visual or tactile information. The study suggests that our brain may use separate pathways to process auditory information, and that alternative strategies like increased mental repetition may be needed to improve memory.
Could action video games help people with dyslexia learn to read?
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.
UCSF team reveals how the brain recognizes speech sounds
The study found that brain regions in the superior temporal gyrus respond to broader acoustic features rather than individual phonemes, enabling more accurate speech recognition. This discovery may contribute to a better understanding of language disorders such as dyslexia and reading difficulties.
Risky ripples: Frog's love song may summon kiss of death
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.
What does compassion sound like?
A study published in Health Expectations identified key markers of compassion in doctor-patient conversations, including recognition of suffering, emotional resonance, and movement towards addressing suffering. The researchers aim to create a behavioral taxonomy that will guide medical training and education.
Tripped tongues teach speech secrets
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.
What a Formula 1 race does to your eardrums
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.
Sounding tall
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.
The secrets of owls' near noiseless wings
Researchers have discovered how owls achieve acoustic stealth through specialized plumage, including stiff feathers along the wing's leading edge and soft downy material. This technology could inspire novel sound-absorbing liners and reduce noise from aircraft and wind turbines.
Universals of conversation
A cross-linguistic study found that words signaling problems with understanding, such as 'Huh?', have similar form and function in languages worldwide. This discovery sheds light on the evolution of human communication and the role of universal linguistic devices.
Just a few years of early musical training benefits the brain later in life
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.
Listen up: Oysters may use sound to select a home
Researchers found that oyster larvae settle in response to habitat-associated underwater sounds, particularly those of oyster reefs. This discovery could provide insights into establishing healthy oyster beds and monitoring the health of undersea reefs.
Learning dialects shapes brain areas that process spoken language
A new study from RIKEN Brain Science Institute found that the pitch-accent in words pronounced in standard Japanese activates different brain hemispheres depending on whether the listener speaks standard Japanese or one of the regional dialects. Native speakers who acquire a second language later in life process pitch changes similarly...
How do consumers see a product when they hear music?
Researchers found that consumers are more likely to buy a product from a different location when a pleasant sound draws attention to the item. This effect is attributed to the ability to visually process products presented in the same spatial direction as the auditory signal, making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions.
JCI early table of contents for Oct. 15, 2013
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.
Sound preconditioning prevents ototoxic drug-induced hearing loss in mice
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.
Brain development differs in children who stutter
A study by University of Alberta researcher Deryk Beal found that children who stutter have less grey matter in brain regions responsible for speech production. This discovery highlights the importance of early treatment approaches like those pioneered by the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research.
Why blame feels hard to take
Research reveals that people experience a lower sense of agency for actions associated with negative outcomes, making blame harder to accept. The discovery sheds light on notions about personal responsibility and emotional experiences., People tend to take credit for good outcomes but struggle with accepting responsibility for bad ones.
Decoding sound's source: Mass. Eye and Ear researchers unravel part of the mystery
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.
Getting an expected award music to the brain's ears
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.
Piano fingers
Researchers found that piano players' hand muscle contractions differ depending on the sequence of notes played, indicating coarticulation. This phenomenon is similar to coarticulation in speech and American Sign Language, suggesting a complex neural connection between finger movements and keystrokes.
Brain picks out salient sounds from background noise by tracking frequency and time, study finds
A new study published in eLife reveals how our brains track frequency and time to distinguish important sounds from background noise. The findings suggest that both pitch and timing are crucial for sound pattern recognition, shedding light on a fundamental brain mechanism for detecting sound patterns.
Music to a gambler's ears
Researchers found that winning sounds on slot machines make gambling more exciting and cause players to overestimate their number of wins. Sounds also contribute to the 'disguise' in losses disguised as wins, causing players to think they have won more often than they actually have.
Insights into how brain compensates for recurring hearing loss point to new glue ear therapies
A study in ferrets shows that the brain can adapt to temporary hearing loss by relying on spectral cues from the outer ear. The findings suggest new strategies for rehabilitating children with glue ear and improve hearing aid design.
Pneumonia revealed in a cough
A new technique uses cough sound analysis to diagnose pneumonia in children, with over 90% sensitivity and a low false positive rate. This method has the potential to revolutionize childhood pneumonia diagnosis in resource-poor regions.
Blind(fold)ed by science: Study shows the strategy humans use to chase objects
Researchers found that people who are blindfolded employ the same strategy to intercept a running ball carrier as people who can see, suggesting multiple areas of the brain cooperate to accomplish the task. The constant target-heading angle strategy allows for effective capture in various situations.
One man's tall is another man's small
A study from Cornell University found that food portion labels significantly influence how much people eat and spend. When served identical portions, individuals consumed more when labeled as 'Regular' and were willing to pay more for the same size.
Wilfire smoke over Alaska
Wildfires in western Alaska produce massive smoke clouds, with MODIS detecting unusually warm surface temperatures. The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center reports record-setting fire potential across boreal spruce forests and tundra landscapes.
Perfect pitch may not be absolute after all
Researchers discovered that people with absolute pitch can be misled by gradual changes in pitch while listening to music. The study, led by Stephen Hedger and Howard Nusbaum, found that exposure to detuned music affects how individuals identify notes as being in or out of tune.
New GEOSPHERE science online covers Himalaya, Colorado River, McMurdo Sound, and more
Two special issues of Geosphere cover the India-Asia collision in the Himalaya and the origin of the Colorado River System II. The articles also explore other geological features such as the Jemez Mountains volcanic field and the Alabama and western Georgia Blue Ridge.
Study shows how bilinguals switch between languages
A new study shows that bilinguals who learn two languages early in life have separate processing modes or sound systems for each language. The research found that participants perceived 'ba' and 'pa' sounds differently depending on the context, with a shift in perception when switching between languages.
Concert cacophony: Short-term hearing loss protective, not damaging
Scientists discovered that the body's adaptation mechanism allows the cochlea to perform normally when exposed to noise stress. Constant exposure to loud noise can cause irreversible damage to high frequency hearing.