ct populations (4aAB2). Studying how female midshipman fish distinguish between the concurrent mating calls ("hums") of males singing to them together, Andrew Bass's lab at Cornell University (ahb3@cornell.edu) will present evidence that the regularly repeating acoustical "beats" produced by the concurrent hums get converted into rhythmically timed nerve signals in the brain, allowing individuals to distinguish between the different songs (4aAB1).

Reducing Noise in the Transportation Landscape

In an unexpected discovery, researchers have found that highway noise barriers with jagged edges are better at shielding sound than those with smooth walls. Penelope Menounou and her colleagues at the University of Texas (menounou@mail.utexas.edu) have come up with an explanation for this phenomenon (1aNSb2). Maria Heckl of Keele University in England (m.a.heckl@maths.keele.ac.uk) will describe how the "curve squeal" created by trains as they round a bend is closely related to the exact friction-based process responsible for creating sound in a bowed string instrument such as a violin. To actively control these noises, Heckl has devised a feedback system that stabilizes the vibrations of the train wheels (2pSA1). Investigating the noise from another increasingly popular mode of transportation--motorcycle scooters--Cho H. Lu of the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu, Taiwan (830562@mirl.itri.org.tw) will show how padding the exhaust pipe and separating the power transmission box from the rest of the scooter can make them significantly quieter (5aNSb2).

Other Important Uses of Sound in Animals

Using a biological form of sonar, fish-eating flying bats have the amazing ability to detect underwater fish, even
'"/>

Contact: Ben Stein
bstein@aip.acp.org
301-209-3091
American Institute of Physics
13-May-1998

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Related biology news :

1. Biggest Bacteria Ever Found
2. Largest Acoustics Meeting In History Expected
3. ESA 89th Annual Meeting
4. Organization for Human Brain Mapping 2004 Annual Meeting
5. National Academies advisory: NAS Annual Meeting April 17-20
6. Society of Nuclear Medicines 51st Annual Meeting June 19-23, 2004
7. Meeting of the minds leads new era in fight against cancer
8. Citizens, scientists and policymakers debate ways to restore ocean health at AAAS Town Hall Meeting
9. ASM Biodefense Research Meeting
10. Lunch workshop at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting
11. Free, public events at the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting