All articles tagged with #sound
The article explores popular 19th-century science experiments with sound, highlighting Ernst Chladni's work with Chladni figures that visually demonstrate sound waves, and discusses how Victorian society engaged in hands-on acoustic experiments as both entertainment and education.
A musician's singing at Belgium's Pairi Daiza elephant sanctuary elicited a surprising and curious response from the elephants, who approached and engaged with the music, highlighting their sensitivity to sound and potential for musical interaction.
Space is mostly silent due to its vacuum, but scientists use sonification to translate cosmic phenomena like black hole burps and Martian winds into sounds humans can hear, revealing a 'quiet symphony' in the universe that connects us emotionally and scientifically.
A mysterious eerie sound resembling a woman's voice, recorded in the Pacific Ocean in 1999 and nicknamed 'Julia', remains unexplained after 25 years. While NOAA suggests it may have been caused by an iceberg off Antarctica, conspiracy theories about alien ships persist, but no definitive conclusion has been reached.
The loud sound of the Dodge Hellcat supercharger is caused by its twin-screw design that forces more air into the engine, creating a high-pitched whine that complements its aggressive V8 roar, all tailored to satisfy high-performance driver demands. The supercharger, made by IHI, enhances engine power and sound, contributing to the Hellcat's reputation as a high-performance muscle car.
Space itself is silent due to the vacuum, but sound can exist in various forms within celestial objects and atmospheres, such as pressure waves from black holes, gas clouds, and planetary atmospheres, which can be converted into audible sounds for study. These sounds reveal important information about the universe and planetary conditions, despite being inaudible to human ears.
Scientists have long understood how snow forms, but the reason behind the satisfying squeak it makes when walked on has been less explored. W. Craig Carter, a professor at MIT, likens the sound to breaking tiny particles, with the intricate architecture of snowflakes and sintering playing a key role. As temperatures drop, the likelihood of snow crunching increases, similar to the way wet sand also squeaks due to adhesions forming between grains.
Facebook recently introduced a new sound that occurs while scrolling through the newsfeed on iPhones to make the experience more engaging. For those who find it distracting, the sound can be turned off by opening the Facebook app, tapping on the menu, selecting "Settings & Privacy," choosing "Settings," finding "Media," and toggling off the switch for "In-App Sounds" under "Sounds."
Sound cannot travel through space because it is a vacuum with almost no matter to carry sound waves. In space, there is no air or molecules to vibrate and transmit sound. Therefore, there is no sound or echo in space. However, there are particles in space, and in certain conditions, such as in plasma, sound waves can travel, although at different speeds and wavelengths. NASA has even recorded the sound of a black hole stirring up plasma in deep space, although it is too low in frequency for the human ear to hear.
Doritos has introduced the world's first quiet snacking AI software, addressing the issue of loud crunching sounds while gaming. Research shows that 85% of US gamers reach for Doritos during gaming sessions, but 30% say that the sound of crunching affects their performance. The software aims to eliminate crunching sounds, allowing gamers to snack without disrupting their gameplay.
NASA has released haunting recordings of the Solar System, converting plasma waves and radio waves into sound. Each celestial body has its own unique sounds, from the Sun's constant roar to Saturn's eerie sci-fi movie soundtrack. Even Jupiter's moons emit robotic blips and bleeps, while Mars captures the haunting sounds of its winds. Converting light into sound helps scientists uncover hidden details and provides a mesmerizing experience for those seeking to explore the vastness of space.
Powerful recordings of Saturn's plasma waves, converted into an audio file, reveal an eerie sound that evokes the atmosphere of a horror film. The recording was made by translating the plasma waves, which carry energy like air or water, into a "whooshing" audio file, similar to how a radio translates electromagnetic waves into music.
A new study suggests that the brain actively processes silence in a similar way to sound, challenging the notion that silence is simply the absence of noise. The study, involving 1,000 participants, showed that the brain perceives silence as it does sound, leading to the illusion that one continuous silence is longer than two separate ones. The research suggests that our brains pay attention to silence, explaining why we notice pauses in conversations or the hush at the end of a musical performance. The findings highlight the complex nature of perception and the brain's ability to process absence of sound.
Apple's tvOS 17 will include an audio enhancement option to help users hear dialogue in TV shows and movies, available for Apple TV 4K with paired HomePod speaker setups. The feature analyzes audio being played and separates actors' speech from effects and background music, bringing dialogue forward to the center channel. It is exclusive to Apple TV 4K with home theater audio mode using HomePod (second-generation) speakers and only available with apps that use the standard system video player. Other features coming this year include FaceTime via Continuity Camera, redesigned Control Center, third-party VPN support, and more.
Samsung is updating the Ambient Sound features in its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earbuds for those who are hard of hearing, promising clearer hearing, finely tuned sound settings, and sound clarity. The enhanced features were clinically tested by the University of Iowa's Hearing Aid and Aging Research Laboratory, whose researchers concluded that the earbuds' "significantly improved speech perception in those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss." The feature requires a Samsung Galaxy smartphone with Android 8.0 or later and at least 1.5GB of RAM and can only be enabled through the Galaxy Wearable app.