An acoustic wave is a mechanical disturbance that propagates through an elastic medium via successive compressions and rarefactions of particles, transporting energy but not net mass. Described by solutions to the linearized equations of fluid or solid mechanics, acoustic waves obey characteristic relations between pressure, density, and particle velocity fluctuations, with propagation speed determined by the medium’s elastic moduli and mass density. They can be longitudinal or, in solids, include transverse components, and are characterized by parameters such as frequency, wavelength, impedance, and attenuation, which govern reflection, refraction, scattering, and mode conversion in acoustically relevant phenomena and applications.
An international team of scientists has developed a new analysis of how sound waves behave, revealing surprising effects that have largely been overlooked for decades. In the new paper in Scientific Reports, which was led ...
General Physics
May 19, 2026
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Researchers at MIT have suggested that rice seeds can hear the sound of rain, according to a new study. MIT calls it "the first direct evidence that plant seeds and seedlings can sense sounds in nature." Perhaps surprisingly, ...
Plants & Animals
May 11, 2026
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With the involvement of scientists from the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics in Berlin and the Universities of Augsburg and Münster, international researchers have presented a new roadmap for surface acoustic ...
Nanophysics
Apr 29, 2026
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A new study has shown that whale calls are reduced by as much as 50% in response to seismic surveys, which are commonly used to find oil and gas reserves. Researchers are worried that such surveys could impact vulnerable ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 14, 2026
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Acoustic metamaterials are a fast-evolving family of materials which manipulate sound waves in ever more advanced ways. Now, a team led by Changqing Xu at Nanjing Normal University in China has engineered an acoustic metamaterial, ...
The hair cells lining the inner ear are among the most sophisticated structures in the human body: capable of detecting sounds as faint as a whisper, while helping to maintain our sense of balance. Through new models detailed ...
Researchers at the University of Oxford have suggested that ultrasound-repellers could help reduce hedgehog deaths caused by cars. The proposal is based on new findings, published in Biology Letters, which demonstrate for ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 10, 2026
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39
A new University of Mississippi study shows that some sound waves don't just move forward—they also move slightly to the side. Understanding this movement could help researchers develop more precise acoustic tools. Likun ...
General Physics
Mar 10, 2026
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43
At the heart of every camera is a sensor, whether that sensor is a collection of light-detecting pixels or a strip of 35-millimeter film. But what happens when you want to take a picture of something so small that the sensor ...
Nanophysics
Dec 15, 2025
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86
Electronics traditionally rely on harnessing the electron's charge, but researchers are now exploring the possibility of harnessing its other intrinsic properties. In a Nature Communications study, scientists from Japan demonstrated ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 19, 2025
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