News tagged with vocalizations

Prairie dogs may have the most complex language

(PhysOrg.com) -- Prairie dogs may have a vocal communication system more complex than that of dolphins, whales and non-human primates, according to a new study.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 04, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (16) | comments 2 | with audio podcast report

House cats know what they want and how to get it from you

Anyone who has ever had cats knows how difficult it can be to get them to do anything they don't already want to do. But it seems that the house cats themselves have had distinctly less trouble getting humans ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 13, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (13) | comments 4

Wild cat mimics monkey calls

In a fascinating example of vocal mimicry, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and UFAM (Federal University of Amazonas) have documented a wild cat species imitating the call of its intended ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 08, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Birds can dance, really

Researchers at Harvard University have found that humans aren't the only ones who can groove to a beat -- some other species can dance, too. This capability was previously believed to be specific to humans. ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 6

New study finds dolphins produce sounds in a similar way to humans

(PhysOrg.com) -- It has long been thought that dolphins produce sounds by means of "whistles," but a new analysis of a data gathered in the late 1970s has revealed that instead, dolphins make sounds by means ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 09, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast report

The Link Between Birdsong And Human Language

Scientists studying how Bengalese finches use sets of syllables to communicate are a step closer to understanding how humans develop and use vocabulary. After studying the neural networks in finch brains, ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 0

The deep voice of alpha male

Men with a deep, masculine voice are seen as more dominant by other men but a man's own dominance - perceived or actual - does not affect how attentive he is to his rivals' voices. His own dominance does however influence ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created May 28, 2010 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (8) | comments 11 | with audio podcast

Scientists discover ultrasonic communication among frogs

(PhysOrg.com) -- UCLA scientists report for the first time on the only known frog species that can communicate using purely ultrasonic calls, whose frequencies are too high to be heard by humans. Known as ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 11, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Tweet: Scientists decode songbird's genome, provide clues on language learning (w/ Video)

Nearly all animals make sounds instinctively, but baby songbirds learn to sing in virtually the same way human infants learn to speak: by imitating a parent.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 31, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Goat kids can develop accents

The ability to change vocal sounds (vocal plasticity) and develop an accent is potentially far more widespread in mammals than previously believed, according to new research on goats from Queen Mary, University ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 15, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Wagner's 'difficult' reputation unwarranted says research

The composer Richard Wagner is well-known, even notorious, for writing operas that can challenge both performers and listeners. A new study published in the Journal of the Acoustic Society of America reveal ...

Physics / General Physics

created Jul 01, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 3

The moaning mouth bot learns to sing (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Some of you may recall the moaning mouth bot. This bot, which is basically a disembodied mouth that first came to the public attention for making a series of moaning noises that were truly ...

Electronics / Robotics

created Jul 13, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 10 | with audio podcast weblog

Why some voices sound more attractive

Some people's voices seem to have been made for the radio. Others grate on our nerves.

Other Sciences / Other

created Nov 05, 2010 | popularity 2.8 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Simple rubber device mimics complex bird songs

For centuries, hunters have imitated their avian prey by whistling through their fingers or by carving wooden bird calls. Now a team of physicists at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has reproduced many of ...

Physics / General Physics

created Nov 21, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Primate scream: Bonobos make most noise when mating with high ranking partners

(PhysOrg.com) -- Female bonobos are noisy bi-sexual love-makers that call most when mating with higher ranking partners, according to new research.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 04, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast