Acoustic phenomena encompass the generation, propagation, interaction, and detection of mechanical waves in elastic media such as gases, liquids, and solids, typically within the audible frequency range for humans but also including infrasonic and ultrasonic regimes. They are governed by continuum mechanics and wave equations that describe pressure, particle velocity, and displacement fields, along with boundary conditions at interfaces. Key characteristics include frequency-dependent dispersion, attenuation via viscous and thermal losses, reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and nonlinearity at high amplitudes. Acoustic phenomena underpin techniques such as acoustic spectroscopy, imaging, and material characterization, and are critically influenced by medium properties like density, compressibility, and anisotropy.
Space and rockets have been big news of late, from the successful Artemis 2 mission in April to the recent listing of SpaceX on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2026
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Everyone's perception of time is unique. It is a subjective experience shaped by factors such as age, emotions, memory and environmental contexts. And it may also be influenced by background noise, as scientists have demonstrated ...
When a bright fireball streaked across the Alaska sky last spring, the usual tools scientists rely on to track such events—cameras and satellites—did not provide a detailed picture. But the meteoroid left behind something ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 30, 2026
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New research from the University of St. Andrews shows how sperm whale vocal dialects evolve as they adopt new calls while still remembering the old. An international team of researchers studying vocal dialects in the endangered ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 23, 2026
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Sound plays an important role for many animals, helping them navigate and hunt. Echolocation is the ability of animals like bats and dolphins to locate objects by emitting sound waves and interpreting the returning echoes. ...
Plants & Animals
May 19, 2026
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The next time you find yourself lulled by the patter of rain outside your window, think how that same sprinkle might sound if you were a tiny seed planted directly below a free-falling droplet. Would you still be similarly ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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The unofficial soundtrack of every basketball, squash or hard-court tennis match is the constant high-pitched squeak or shriek of the players' shoes. But can this squeak be designed out of them while retaining the grip?
General Physics
Mar 6, 2026
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Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
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Deep into the Panamanian night, the forest hums with sound. Chirping insects form a steady backdrop, rain softly trickles from leaves. Somewhere above a stream, frogs call into the darkness. But I am not there to see this ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
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As the sun rises over the Kalahari Desert, meerkat groups emerge from their burrows and gather closely, turning their bodies toward the warmth of the early light. These quiet morning moments are more than a way to warm up; ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 30, 2026
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