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THESE WALLS TALK TOO MUCH
Popular Science
CONTRIBUTORS
sound it out
a quiet place
animal noises are off the charts
play it again
imagine your voice on other planets
the croak heard round the world
the loudest stuff we’ve ever measured
how birds got their groove
death by stereo
bang-bang
it shot me down
FOR THE RECORDS
STRUM MACHINE
CALLS OF THE WILD
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE
TYPE RIGHT-ER
POD IN FULL
A SIMPLER TIME
THE BEAT IS CHEAP
HEAR NO EVIL
IS LIFE LUOD IN THE OCEAN?
NOW HEAR THIS (BEFORE YOU CAN’T)
Seven sounds science has yet to solve
The Song of the Immortal Violin • The masterpieces that Antonio Stradivari created three centuries ago will not live forever. One museum hopes digitizing their melodious voice will save them for future generations.
PAPA, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
STATIC ON THE LINE • WHEN OUR FARTHEST-OUT CRAFT CALL HOME, SPACE ITSELF SENDS A MESSAGE
noise level • With restaurants getting louder than ever, a team of acoustic specialists tries to clear the table of conversation-killing din.
AGONY & ACTS ESAY • ASMR videos give fans an almost-orgasmic release—but send others into a rage. That overlap could unlock the secret of how sound gets under our skin.
ASMRtistry • YouTube hosts mil l ions of videos meant to incite ASMR—and they’re not just careless whispers. Two creators share their motivations and methods.
Timeline of a Trend • A brief history of ASMR research
how to bring on brain tingles
what does sound feel like? • Two people can have radically different reactions to the same noise. Here are the physiological responses that distinguish an ASMR addict from a miserable misophonic.
MAKING IT OLD-SCHOOL
welcome to the quietest place on earth • STEVE ORFIELD, PRESIDENT OF ORFIELD LABORATORIES
to go silent, sometimes you need to make some noise • DAN GAUGER, DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER FOR BOSE CORPORATION
i use echolocation to “see” the world • DANIEL KISH, PRESIDENT OF WORLD ACCESS FOR THE BLIND
sound bites • The snap of a fresh carrot or the glug of a chocolate fountain are arguably among the finer pleasures in life. But what causes our snacks to crackle and pop, and exactly why do we care? Here are five expert opinions on the acoustics involved in your favorite fare.
how to speak simlish • ROBI KAUKER, SENIOR AUDIO DIRECTOR FOR MAXIS STUDIOS AT ELECTRONIC ARTS
flower power • SREEKANTH “SHREK” CHALASANI, NEUROBIOLOGIST AT THE SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
my sonic experiments messed me up • REBECCA MURSIC, PH.D. STUDENT IN PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA
if monkeys could talk… • ASIF GHAZANFAR, NEUROSCIENTIST AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
the secret life of earwax • STEPHEN TRUMBLE, MARINE BIOLOGIST AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
signal in the noise
hold me closer… tony danza?
shape-shifting sounds
can a blindfold boost my hearing?
I WISH SOMEONE WOULD INVENT…