Popular Science: The Noise Issue

Unexplained hums, rings, and rumbles. Space screams, crying babies, and a lot of explosions. Howling monkeys, off-the-charts amplifiers, and the rowdiest dang frog on earth.

For the Noise issue, we searched this planet and the far-out universe—and right under our noses—for the most awesome sonic phenomena, a reality living right alongside our own, screaming for attention. It has ours now.

- Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown

Before we get into the stories, have a listen to our Table of Contents. The sheet music and methodology can be found in your printed Noise issue.

The Stories:

Decipher mysterious sounds with this matching game
From movie sound effects to cryptic waveforms, sound takes on many forms.
Jessica BoddyAugust 14, 2020
This sound illusion puts the scary in scary movies
Weird undertones aren’t for the faint of heart.
Sara ChodoshFebruary 24, 2020
Even plants pick up on good vibes
They’re a funky bunch, according to Shrek Chalasani.
Ellen AirhartFebruary 20, 2020
How humans can echolocate like bats
And how it changes the brain in the process.
Nicole WetsmanFebruary 19, 2020
The secret to noise-canceling headphones is making more noise
To block out sound, you need to know about all the odd clangs in this world.
Claire MaldarelliFebruary 18, 2020
Whale earwax holds the ocean’s deepest secrets
Icky marine relics make it clear we have a lasting impact on all animals in the sea.
By Donavyn CoffeyFebruary 17, 2020
Is it loud in the ocean?
Evidence suggests our ruckus has a profound impact on marine life.
By Virginia GewinFebruary 14, 2020
The science behind a firework’s big ka-boom
Come on let your colors burst.
Kat EschnerFebruary 10, 2020
Dissecting a lightning strike, from flash to boom
The steps that lead from a charged sky to that signature bolt.
Rob VergerFebruary 10, 2020
Inside America’s legendary audio gear factory
McIntosh still builds its amps by hand, one piece at a time.
Stan HorazekFebruary 7, 2020
When it comes to food, sound is as important as taste
Why foods sound the way they do.
Eleanor CumminsFebruary 6, 2020
The best mechanical keyboards for every clickity clackity situation you can imagine
Feedback is crucial when you’re QWERTY-ing.
Jessica BoddyFebruary 4, 2020
Ranked: the loudest sounds ever measured
These graphs show just how bombastic volcanoes and meteorites can be.
Jessica BoddyFebruary 3, 2020
If monkeys could speak, they’d probably be trolls
Asif Ghazanfar matches macaque behavior to discernible sounds.
Jessica BoddyFebruary 2, 2020
It’s not just you: Restaurants have gotten too loud. But there are some fixes.
Acoustic specialists apply concert-hall tricks to manipulate sound at eateries.
By Chris BerdikJanuary 28, 2020
We built a better house for the 48 million Americans with hearing loss
Simple design tweaks can make a soundless life easier.
By Lisa A. GoldsteinJanuary 28, 2020
See how birds change their tunes to fit their surroundings
Tiny tweaks in a song can prove crucial for dating and mating rituals.
By Marion RenaultJanuary 27, 2020
Seven mysterious sounds science has yet to solve
The loneliest whale in the world is just one example.
Erin BlakemoreJanuary 27, 2020
What your voice would sound like on other planets and moons
Barry White’s got nothing on a Martian’s croon.
Sara ChodoshJanuary 26, 2020
This is why you mishear popular song lyrics
Hold me closer ... Tony Danza?
Sara Kiley WatsonJanuary 23, 2020
Hidden hearing loss is hitting people of all ages. Neuroscientists are still debating why.
Those affected can hear all right, but when it’s noisy, they can’t understand.
Sarah ScolesJanuary 21, 2020
Three options for adding surround sound to your home theater
The immersive experience makes a big difference.
Stan HoraczekJanuary 15, 2020
This frog’s signature chirp can be heavenly or hellish
As the coquí invades new states and islands, it brings its rowdy evening soundtrack with it.
Eleanor CumminsJanuary 15, 2020
The Sims’ language has surprisingly scientific origins
Robi Kauker helped improvise a nonsense vocabulary for the popular game. The process was ‘stupid hard.’
By Marion RenaultJanuary 13, 2020
Inside the extraordinary experiment to save the Stradivarius sound
An entire town went quiet so the world’s most iconic violin could be immortalized.
By Chuck SquatrigliaJanuary 10, 2020
Humans have been recording sound since before they could play it back
It’s taken us quite a few years to learn how to capture audio accurately.
Eleanor CumminsJanuary 9, 2020
Four whistles and instruments you can use to call wildlife
Classic options will still work wonders for summoning deer and fowl.
By John KennedyJanuary 7, 2020
I built a room so quiet you can hear your own blood
Steve Orfield tests products in a super-insulated, reverb-free chamber to understand how loud the world is.
Eleanor CumminsJanuary 6, 2020
Excellent earplugs for everyday situations
Know what you’re squishing into your holes.
By John KennedyJanuary 3, 2020
Unlocking the mysterious ecstasy of ASMR—and its agonizing cousin
The seemingly opposite conditions of autonomous sensory meridian response and misophonia could have quite a lot in common.
Eleanor CumminsDecember 18, 2019
Essential gear to start your own podcast studio
Now is a perfect time to test the power of your voice. Here are four must-haves to make it sound great.
Jason LedermanNovember 22, 2019
Meet the man who restores old music to its original glory
Pete Hutchison’s Electric Recording Co. uses era-specific gear to reissue records the way they were meant to be heard.
Stan HoraczekNovember 22, 2019

Stories will be added to this page as they are published online. Keep checking back!