Tag

Soundscape

All articles tagged with #soundscape

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Jurassic Insects Sing in Ultrasonic Tones, New Study Finds

A team reconstructed the calls of nine Jurassic cricket/katydid ancestors by analyzing fossilized wing structures, living relatives, wing mechanics, and using computer modeling to simulate their sounds. The result includes nine calls spanning audible and ultrasonic frequencies (one species, Sigmaboilus peregrinus, exceeds 20 kHz), revealing a complex Jurassic soundscape and suggesting insects used ultrasonic communication to create acoustic niches and possibly evade predators—challenging the idea that bats were the primary drivers of ultrasonic signals. The work, published in PNAS, also helped inform realistic Jurassic sound design for media like Netflix’s The Dinosaurs.

via The New York Times|

#ancientinsects #bioacoustics #jurassic

environment1 month ago•2 min saved

Birdsong uplifts mood in urban spaces, but traffic dulls the effect, researchers say

A study with over 1,500 participants found birdsong improves mood and reduces stress, but even low levels of traffic noise blunt these benefits; heart-rate variability indicated greater stress when traffic was present, and wellbeing benefits increased with perceived bird diversity, especially among people with more bird knowledge. The findings suggest urban planning measures—such as slower traffic and more ground-level vegetation—to preserve nature’s mood-boosting effects.

via The Guardian|

#birdsongs #environment #soundscape

science7 months ago•11 min saved

Tech opens Earth's hidden chorus to human ears

An Amherst College artist demonstrates how cheap sensors, AI and signal processing let us hear inaudible frequencies—from infrasonic waves of oceans, storms and glaciers to ultrasonic chatter of bats and spiders—and reveals a growing Earth-wide soundscape that expands our perception and even aims to decode animal language.

via The Washington Post|

#animal-communication #earth-soundscape #infrasound

science7 months ago•6 min saved

Tuning Your Soundscape to Protect Focus and Sleep

Constant, personalized soundscapes subtly shape how we think by steering attention and mental effort; lyrics can disrupt language tasks, while familiar, simpler sounds may support repetitive work. The piece offers three principles—match the sound to the task, monitor your own signals to adjust audio, and protect silence—and practical tips to design a listening environment that boosts focus and recovery rather than hijacking thinking, with implications for sleep and daily life.

via ScienceAlert|

#attention #cognition #science