noise

Huge reduction in ambient noise during the coronavirus lockdown means that birdsong is more audible

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A huge reduction in ambient noise from traffic and aircraft during the coronavirus lockdown means that birdsong is more audible than ever, experts have found. Sound recordings taken in London and across the south-east of England by engineering consultancy firm 24 Acoustics revealed the remarkable change.  Their ‘intelligent noise monitoring’ systems are designed to record noise coming … Read more

Scientists reveal planet’s ‘seismic noise’ reduced after world goes on coronavirus lockdown

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Earthquake scientists reveal planet’s ‘seismic noise’ has reduced since half the world was put on lockdown to tackle coronavirus Scientists have seen reduction in vibrations around the earth since late March More than two billion people are thought to be in lockdown around the globe  Fewer trains, planes and heavy vehicles have contributed to the … Read more

Microsoft develops ‘real time noise suppression’ for conference calls to filter background noises

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Microsoft unveils a ‘real time noise suppression’ tool for conference calls to help people working from home filter out potentially embarrassing background noises Microsoft has demonstrated a new feature for its communications tool Teams Users on conference calls will now have the option to filter background noise The company demonstrated the feature by removing the … Read more

Ship noise makes crabs vulnerable to predators 

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Colour-changing crabs are becoming too stressed by human-created noise to use their camouflage skills to hide from danger, a new study claims. UK scientists observed the behaviour of shore crabs, which can slowly change their shell cover to blend in with rocky shores and hide from predators. But prolonged exposure to the sounds of ships … Read more

One in FIVE Europeans suffer from noise pollution caused by traffic and aircraft

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One in five Europeans suffer from noise pollution caused by traffic and aircraft as officials warn up to half of city-dwellers are exposed to constant road noise.  Alarmingly, figures are set to rise in the next decade due to urban growth, the European Environment Agency (EEA) predict.   Noise pollution can disrupt sleep at night, while chronic … Read more