Virtual reconstructions of Neanderthal ears show that our extinct cousins had the same physical capacity for hearing as modern humans, and so could probably also make the same sounds we can – although whether they actually spoke a language is still unknown Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269577-neanderthal-ears-were-tuned-to-hear-speech-just-like-modern-humans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: Ears
A New Population of Blue Whales Was Discovered Hiding in the Indian Ocean
Weighing up to 380,000 pounds and stretching some 100 feet long, the blue whale — the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth — might at first seem difficult for human eyes and ears to miss. But a previously unknown population of the leviathans has long been lurking in the Indian Ocean, leaving scientists none the wiser, new research suggests….
Look Ma, no ears! Teensy spiders hear with organ on their legs
Though known for their huge eyes, ogre-faced spiders also “listen” for their prey. Source: https://www.livescience.com/ogre-faced-spider-hearing.html
Remembering Laika: ‘Space Dogs’ Documentary Explores Moscow Through a Stray’s Eyes
Space.com reports:
Laika, a stray dog scooped off the streets of Moscow, launched on the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 2 mission in November 1957, just a month after Sputnik 1’s liftoff opened the space age. The 11-lb. (5 kilograms) mixed-breed quickly died of overheating and circled Earth as a corpse until April 1958, when Sputnik 2 fell back into the atmosphere and burned…
Naked mole rats are nearly deaf because their ears can’t amplify sound
Scientists have discovered why naked mole rats have poor hearing and they suggest the finding could be used to understand and model some forms of human deafness Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2253661-naked-mole-rats-are-nearly-deaf-because-their-ears-cant-amplify-sound/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Is it possible to hear meteors?
Can you hear a meteor as it streaks overhead? Some people have reported hearing meteors with a sizzling sound like bacon frying. Scientists now say you can, and explain how it happens. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/whoosh-can-you-hear-a-meteor-streak-past…
Urban Foxes May Be Self-Domesticating In Our Midst
sciencehabit quotes Science magazine: In a famous Siberian experiment carried out the 1950s, scientists turned foxes into tame, doglike canines by breeding only the least aggressive ones generation after generation. The creatures developed stubby snouts, floppy ears, and even began to bark. Now, it appears that some rural red foxes in the United Kingdom are doing this on their own. When…
Human-like ears 3D printed inside mice as surgery-free spare parts
Human-like ears grown on the backs of mice by 3D printing under their skin show that it might one day be possible to replace body parts without the need for surgery Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2245295-human-like-ears-3d-printed-inside-mice-as-surgery-free-spare-parts/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
How ‘Technoprogressive’ Transhumanists Are Enhancing Their Bodies With Technology
Rob Spence installed a wireless video camera in place of his right eye, reports CNN. And 29-year-old James Young’s robotic arm “features a USB port, a screen displaying his Twitter feed and a retractable dock containing a remote-controlled drone…” “As biotechnology advances, so too may our ideas of what it means to be human.” Today, we can alter our bodies in…
Learn to recognize the wildlife out your window
With careful observation, you can start to recognize a particular squirrel, or that certain cardinal pair that hangs out on your feeder. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/learn-to-recognize-individual-birds-wildlife…