Pressure waves are the type of sound we sense and hear because of the vibration on our ear drums. Even though it's underwater, that's the same way such waves work for whales in their songs. The trouble with pressure waves for navigation is they don't travel very far. You know how it goes with a booming automobile when you don't hear the highs to whatever they're playing but the low-pitched bass travels forever. (Science Daily: Whale song 'GPS system': Previously unknown component of whale songs discovered)
It turns out the 'unknown component' was made up of low-frequency particle waves which are detected by feeling them. In this respect, the researchers found whales may be something like those booming automobiles as their whale song will attenuate quickly in the water but the low frequencies may go quite a distance.
The immediate concern in the article is regarding the spurious ocean noises created by human activity such as drilling, etc. The worry is the growing level of background noise of that nature will be disruptive to whales and possibly other marine life.
The interest just now in the Rockhouse is the content of whatever is transmitted that way and whales aren't the only mammals capable of hearing such waves.
From an evolutionary standpoint, he adds, there's some precedence for this sort of vibratory hearing. Although most mammals sense sound via pressure waves in their eardrums, the closest living relative to whales -- hippopotamuses -- are known to sense sound underwater using their bodies, even while their ears remain above the surface. Elephants, another close relative to whales, can pick up ultra-low frequency vibrations through their feet, a trait that may help them locate their herd from miles away.
It turns out the 'unknown component' was made up of low-frequency particle waves which are detected by feeling them. In this respect, the researchers found whales may be something like those booming automobiles as their whale song will attenuate quickly in the water but the low frequencies may go quite a distance.
The immediate concern in the article is regarding the spurious ocean noises created by human activity such as drilling, etc. The worry is the growing level of background noise of that nature will be disruptive to whales and possibly other marine life.
The interest just now in the Rockhouse is the content of whatever is transmitted that way and whales aren't the only mammals capable of hearing such waves.
From an evolutionary standpoint, he adds, there's some precedence for this sort of vibratory hearing. Although most mammals sense sound via pressure waves in their eardrums, the closest living relative to whales -- hippopotamuses -- are known to sense sound underwater using their bodies, even while their ears remain above the surface. Elephants, another close relative to whales, can pick up ultra-low frequency vibrations through their feet, a trait that may help them locate their herd from miles away.
- Science Daily
It doesn't seem all that clever since the elephants detect the sound and presumably the loudest sound must be elephants so go that way. It doesn't seem so advanced with the hippos either since maybe it's just a defense mechanism which alerts when something approaches. Here at the Rockhouse, we're thinking humans are more sensitive to these types of waves than we realize and maybe that's why it's more exciting when music is louder since the deep particle waves at that level will make it highly physical.
Bass players know this from the first note they play.
The interest with the whales is in the content of these waves and if there's a language in them. It seems like every time we think we have it figured out with whales then we find something else so I'm betting on a language of some sort. The researchers only had tine to discover the waves exist so no doubt they will be going out to learn more about them.
Ed: what if they find it has a hip hop beat?
Get jiggy with it.
Ed: what if they find it has a hip hop beat?
Get jiggy with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment