ADVERTISEMENT
Modified from the cover of <em >The Sounds of Life</em>
Opinion: Listening to the Biosphere Is Key Step in Saving It
New insights into the functionality of nonhuman sound may help us conserve nature and protect ourselves from excessive noise.
Opinion: Listening to the Biosphere Is Key Step in Saving It
Opinion: Listening to the Biosphere Is Key Step in Saving It

New insights into the functionality of nonhuman sound may help us conserve nature and protect ourselves from excessive noise.

New insights into the functionality of nonhuman sound may help us conserve nature and protect ourselves from excessive noise.

acoustic research

<em >Lymantria&nbsp;</em>species make ultrasonic, mechanical rasping noises when they hear bats nearby.&nbsp;
Many Moths Speak Up to Ward Off Bats
Connor Lynch | Dec 1, 2022 | 5 min read
A decade-long, multicontinent study suggests that acoustic defense strategies are more common among moths than previously imagined.
Three turtles resting closely together on a log, one end of which is submerged in brackish water
Turtle Vocalizations Reframe Origins of Auditory Communication
Amanda Heidt | Oct 26, 2022 | 4 min read
Sounds made by more than 50 vertebrates previously thought to be mute push back the origin of this type of communication by at least 100 million years, a study finds.
A school of juvenile spiny chromis (Acanthochromis polycanthus)
Human-Made Noise Disrupts Fish Parenting
Christie Wilcox, PhD | May 23, 2022 | 3 min read
The roar of nearby boat engines alters how fish care for and protect their young, resulting in fewer successful nests and smaller offspring, a study finds.
Bat perching upside down in a cave.
Some Bats Buzz Like Hornets to Deter Predators
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 9, 2022 | 2 min read
The behavior is the first example of a mammal mimicking a more-dangerous species.
Photo of Roxanne Beltran
Roxanne Beltran Dives into Seal Research
Lisa Winter | Jan 17, 2022 | 3 min read
This University of California, Santa Cruz, biologist is dedicated to her marine mammal research, as well as to making the field more diverse and equitable.
Photo of krill and plankton in the sea, macro detail
Fear Could Help Explain the Behavior of Animals in the Ocean
Catherine Offord | Jan 4, 2022 | 2 min read
Avoidance of predation is a driving force behind the daily movements of marine creatures across the food web, a study concludes.
Several tadpoles in clear eggs
Slideshow: How Animal Embryos Eavesdrop on the Outside World
Amanda Heidt | Nov 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Watch and listen to reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds respond to sound from inside their eggs.
When Pursuing Prey, Bats Tune Out the World
Lisa Winter | May 1, 2021 | 2 min read
As they close in for the kill, the flying mammals use quieter echolocation to focus on the chase.
Tom Norris, Bio-Wave, obituary, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, whales, dolphins, marine mammal, acoustics, hydrophone, conservation, surveys, Navy, NOAA
Tom Norris, Marine Mammal Acoustician, Dies at 55
Amanda Heidt | Sep 18, 2020 | 3 min read
Norris, who founded the research firm Bio-Waves, furthered the study of marine mammals using passive acoustic monitoring technology he designed himself.
Eavesdropping on Soil Insects Could Aid Pest Management
Michael Graw | Nov 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Insects in the soil are difficult to monitor, but listening in on the noises they make could help farmers detect pest infestations and improve estimates of biodiversity.
A Rainforest Chorus
Karen Zusi | Dec 1, 2015 | 5 min read
Researchers measure the health of Papua New Guinea’s forests by analyzing the ecological soundscape.
Jungle Field Trip
The Scientist Staff | Nov 30, 2015 | 1 min read
Travel to remote rain forests in Papua New Guinea with researchers from The Nature Conservancy who are working with native people to characterize ecosystems there using sound.
Musical Scales
Kerry Grens | Sep 1, 2015 | 4 min read
The quest to document an ancient sea creature reveals a cyclical chorus of fish songs.
A Fishy Chorus
The Scientist Staff | Aug 31, 2015 | 1 min read
Watch the coelacanth documentary that fish biologist Eric Parmentier and filmmaker Laurent Ballesta were making when they discovered and recorded a world of undersea sound.
ADVERTISEMENT