Articles tagged with Sound
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Researchers developed a new mathematical tool to determine spacetime's shape from 'sound' pulses caused by quantum fluctuations. This technique connects quantum theory and general relativity via vibrational wavelengths, enabling novel probing of the universe.
Researchers found that nearly a million measurements show two-thirds of Philadelphia vowels are changing, with some shifts towards Northern influences. The study spans over a century and involves over 1,000 people.
A recent study published in Language journal reveals that Philadelphia's traditional Southern accent is being replaced by Northern influences. The research analyzed neighborhood speech patterns over a century, finding two major patterns of change and their possible causes related to geographic neighbors.
PeerJ, founded on principles of affordability, innovation, and Open Access, publishes its first 30 peer-reviewed articles, offering a rapid, peer-reviewed journal with a Creative Commons license. The organization assembles an Editorial Board of 800 esteemed academics to ensure rigorous peer review and high standards in publication.
Scientists have developed an automated system that can rapidly reconstruct hundreds of ancestral languages, including Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Afroasiatic. The computer program uses probabilistic reasoning and machine learning to replicate linguistic changes over time, with an accuracy rate of 85%.
Researchers discovered that babies differentiate between native and foreign languages just hours after birth, indicating they absorb language while still in the womb. The study shows fetuses learn prenatally about specific speech sounds of a mother's language.
The 'Smart stethoscope' assesses the effectiveness of shock wave lithotripsy treatment for kidney stones by analyzing echoes after each shock wave hits the stone. This device has been shown to achieve high accuracy (94.7%) in clinical trials, reducing the need for repeat therapy and x-ray monitoring.
The Geosphere journal has published 17 new studies on various topics including the Hosgri strike-slip fault zone, Mount Katmai's eruptive history, and the Barreirinhas Basin in Brazil. These studies provide insights into shallow structure, geomorphology, volcanic eruptions, and climate-tectonic interactions.
A novel approach to cataract surgery using binaural beats audio therapy significantly reduces patients' anxiety, with consistent results in heart rate and blood pressure. The study highlights the potential for this simple, inexpensive method to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Tropical Storm Maria is weakening due to increased wind shear and cool ocean temperatures, but will continue moving north-northeast over open waters. The storm's circulation is consolidating, with tightly curved bands of thunderstorms around the center.
Researchers found that the left hemisphere specializes in rapidly changing sounds, while the right hemisphere prefers slowly changing sounds. This study may lead to new strategies for treating speech loss after a stroke and improving speech recognition in children with dyslexia.
A study published in PLOS ONE reveals that our brains prioritize detecting new sounds over detecting when a sound disappears. In busy environments, participants often miss more than half of changes and experience longer reaction times to detect oncoming sounds.
Researchers found that bilateral cochlear implants restored binaural processing in deaf children who received the implants at a young age, but not those who delayed their second implant. The study suggests that early auditory experience is critical for binaural processing.
A study found sound levels around seriously ill patients in ICUs were significantly higher than WHO's recommended 30 dB. Patients experienced both positive and negative sounds, with uncontrollable alarms and treatments being most disturbing.
Researchers have defined perfect forward secrecy for email, which prevents decryption even if a sender's private key is compromised. The new protocol uses a technique that creates a unique session hash for each message, ensuring that emails remain confidential and secure.
Researchers found that bats are more likely to attack fly pairs during mating due to the noisy wing movements, which can be detected by echolocation. This study provides experimental evidence that the sound of copulating flies can make them detectable for bats.
A study found that bats eavesdrop on fly sex sounds to earn two flies for one, increasing the risk of being attacked and eaten. This demonstrates that increased conspicuousness during mating is a significant cost.
Scientists located auroral sounds near ground level, about 70 meters above the surface. The research reveals that energetic particles from the sun create sound closer to the ground than previously thought.
A study found that baby names with popular phonemes in previous years became more popular, demonstrating a connection between cultural evolution and name popularity. The researchers also discovered a correlation between hurricane names and baby names, highlighting the influence of exposure on cultural trends.
A new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital found that common hospital noises can disrupt patient sleep, leading to temporary elevations in heart rate. The researchers also found that electronic sounds were the most arousing, even at low volumes, and that sleep stage affected how sound impacted arousal.
Researchers at MGH identified a brain area sensitive to sound distance, independent of loudness, using functional imaging. This discovery could help future studies of hearing disorders and sheds light on how the brain processes auditory signals.
A University at Buffalo study finds that synapses in the cochlear nucleus are bundled together by plasticity, allowing for efficient transmission of sound information. This organization enables specialized bushy cells to develop unique sensitivities to sound characteristics.
Patients with hemianopia experience improved visual detection of light stimuli after being presented with sounds on the affected side. Neural pathways that process information from different senses play a key role in this effect.
A new study suggests that infants start learning about race from birth, but their ability to recognize faces and emotions from other races declines at around 9 months. This decline in ability is thought to be a result of the infant's brain processing more information from familiar groups, such as family members.
A new study by the University of Bristol reveals that male tree crickets can change the frequency of their songs with temperature, allowing them to adjust their size. This allows males to increase sound power, which may be linked to attracting mates and disguising their true size.
The collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and patients is leading to a closer relationship, gleaning more information about medication effects. Experts predict this could usher in an era of personalized medicine.
Researchers have successfully decoded electrical activity in a human auditory system region, reconstructing words from normal conversation. This breakthrough could help patients with speech damage due to strokes or diseases like Lou Gehrig's, enabling them to communicate again.
A new study from Northwestern University found that older musicians have a distinct neural timing advantage, encoding sound stimuli as quickly and accurately as younger non-musicians. This suggests that music training can help overcome age-related hearing loss and improve communication in complex environments.
A study by Boston Children's Hospital researchers found that brain activity on MRI scans can indicate early signs of dyslexia in preschool-age children. This could lead to earlier intervention and improved outcomes for these children.
New research aims to create algorithms mimicking human brain sound processing to enhance speech intelligibility in noisy situations. The goal is to develop a brain-inspired speech enhancer that can identify sound sources and reduce the stigma associated with hearing aids.
Researchers at Queen's University found that toddlers do not monitor their own voice when speaking like adults do. Instead, they rely on interaction with the person they're talking to to judge accuracy of speech sounds. Future studies aim to determine the exact strategy used by children under two.
A study published in Frontiers in Zoology has found a hybrid system in pearl-perch that utilizes characteristics of both slow and fast systems for sound production. This discovery takes researchers closer to understanding the evolution of superfast sonic muscles that drive swimbladder vibration.
A new UCLA psychology study finds that the senses of hearing and vision interact at a basic level before producing estimates, influencing the way we perceive the world. Even when sound is irrelevant to the task, it still affects our visual perception.
A new study shows that sound can affect visual perception at an unconscious level, enhancing performance on tasks involving moving objects. Participants performed better when sound moved in the same direction as the object's movement, even if it was irrelevant to the task.
Two studies investigate geological history of Grenville Province and thermal properties of Antarctica's Victoria Land Basin. A new educational program also enhances science education among educators participating in the ANDRILL research initiative.
Researchers found that once a word is learned, it is stored in a purely visual dictionary in the brain, allowing for fast and efficient recognition. This concept may help explain why people with dyslexia struggle with reading due to difficulties forming a finely tuned visual representation of words.
Professor Marcel Stive is conducting a five-year project to produce long-term predictions for coastal change processes using a combination of satellite and video surveillance. The goal is to improve coastal zone planning and management by studying interactions on comprehensive time and space scales.
A recent brain-imaging study challenges the historical understanding of dyslexia by showing that children with reading difficulties have the same brain difficulty in processing sounds regardless of their IQ. This finding could change the way educators help poor readers, as all can benefit from the same interventions.
Scientists at LMU Munich developed a mathematical model that accurately mimics human sound recognition, showing the brain compares stored and perceived sounds efficiently. The new library-based model predicts the flow of information from cerebrum to thalamus, enabling highly efficient real-time implementation.
A new study by Keisha Cutright found that consumers who feel a lack of control over their lives seek tangible boundaries to restore order and structure. This includes aesthetic elements like frames around paintings or fences around yards, which provide a sense of comfort and control.
The article discusses the key issues of the proposed National Criminal Justice Commission and offers recommendations from experts in the field. The commission aims to address the growing number of Americans incarcerated or on parole, which has increased by 290% since 1980, affecting government programs such as education and public health.
A new study found that bilingual babies' brains remain flexible to languages for a longer period, possibly due to greater exposure to speech sounds at home. Bilingual infants also produced more words in the dominant language, while monolinguals lagged behind.
Research reveals individuals with dyslexia struggle to recognize voices speaking their native language due to phonological impairment. The study's findings suggest that the underlying deficit in dyslexia is linked to difficulty processing spoken language sounds, not reading per se.
People with bipolar disorder experience excessive positive emotions, even in neutral situations, which can lead to reckless behavior and relationship problems. This persistent positivity may serve as an early warning sign for relapse.
A two-year project aims to improve music appreciation in cochlear implant users through innovative music workshops and a computer tool kit of listening exercises. Researchers will develop materials and compositions specifically designed for cochlear implant users, aiming to boost self-confidence and enjoyment.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have defined three distinct processing stages for human speech recognition, mirroring those found in non-human primates. These findings provide insights into the complex workings of the human auditory brain and its role in processing language.