Mastodawn

Rice seeds can hear when it's raining.

Scientific Frontline wrote the following post Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:13 -0700 Plant seeds and seedlings possess the biological ability to detect and respond to natural sound vibrations in their environment, utilizing these acoustic cues to break dormancy and accelerate growth.
#Botany #Bioacoustics #PlantPhysiology #MechanicalEngineering #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/bot04222601.html

Plants can sense the sound of rain, a new study finds

Experiments by MIT engineers show rice seeds sprout faster to the sound of rain.

Scientific Frontline 1d ago

Plant seeds and seedlings possess the biological ability to detect and respond to natural sound vibrations in their environment, utilizing these acoustic cues to break dormancy and accelerate growth.
#Botany #Bioacoustics #PlantPhysiology #MechanicalEngineering #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/bot04222601.html

Plants can sense the sound of rain, a new study finds

Experiments by MIT engineers show rice seeds sprout faster to the sound of rain.

Joe Wynne 🌻🚗⛰️4d ago

Costa Rica: The Sound of a Successful Rainforest Recovery Program

🪙 The first nation-wide program that paid landowners to leave pastureland untouched has been successful.

🎤 Drawing on the burgeoning field of #BioAcoustics researchers revealed how the din of life in forests regrowing under the program had a lot in common with intact forests in the area.

💬 “Empowering local people and sharing nature’s bounty among all, instead of locking it away for the privileged few, is a radically effective ecological solution.”
- Giacomo Delgado (principal scientist)

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/02/can-you-hear-it-thats-the-sound-of-a-successful-rainforest-recovery-program/

#SolarPunkSunday #WildlifeConservation #Rewilding #Conservation #Biodiversity #Environment #Wildlife #Reforestation

Can you hear it? That’s the sound of a successful rainforest recovery program.

Nearly a million minutes of recorded sound suggest that paying people to protect forests can restore the complex acoustic signatures of biodiversity.

Anthropocene

Dan Stowell Apr 16

"Can we talk to the animals? The ethics of using machine learning to decode animal communication" https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-026-10409-2 - I'm pleased that someone finally wrote a clear and complete ethical consideration of this emerging topic! #bioacoustics

Can we talk to the animals? The ethics of using machine learning to decode animal communication - Topoi

There is currently much scientific and public interest in using machine learning to uncover the meaning of animal signals, which could ultimately lead to two-way communication systems between humans and other animals. This paper examines the research ethics that should govern this line of inquiry, and explores the transformative implications if scientists are successful at creating translations between animal signals and human language. We argue that the scientific and philosophical literature on animal communication systems warrants the attempt to engage in these translation projects, and describe the current state of the art of the research. While the ability to translate animal signals has many possible benefits, these come alongside no small number of risks to animal communities. We enumerate the risks that exist in the development of these models in order to help scientists avoid them. Looking ahead, we argue that successful two-way communication with animals would both reveal an existing moral landscape and create a new one. Any successful two-way communication system would require radical translation of animal signals, which in turn entails that animals are rational beings who live in normative communities. Furthermore, the creation of these communicative systems also gives rise to new responsibilities and new demands. As researchers work to transform our social relationships with animals, they must also take on the responsibility to prepare humanity for the challenges that will arise in this novel multi-species landscape.

SpringerLink

CSBJ Apr 14

🦗 Could insect ears inspire the future of acoustic technology?

🔗 Comparative Analysis of Morphological and Acoustic Correlates of Bush-Cricket Tympanic Membranes. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal (CSBJ). DOI: https://doi.org/10.34133/csbj.0035

📚 CSBJ - A Science Partner Journal: https://spj.science.org/journal/csbj

#Bioinspiration #Biomimetics #Acoustics #Bioacoustics #EvolutionaryBiology #Biosensors #Entomology #Neuroscience

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Clemens Pitschke Apr 10

And here is the other recording of the Coal tits calls and their wingbeat.
I extendet the frequency range to show the ultrasonic overtones of the calls extending to about 25 kHz.
In the background you can hear a Wood pigeon and a Dunnock.
And this recording is also a good example for "don't be stupid!" and turn your phone of during recording. You can hear it vibrating at some point in the recording.

#fieldrecoding #sound #nature #BirdsOfMastodn #BirdSong #BioAcoustics

Clemens Pitschke Apr 10

So here is a recording from yesterday.
A Coal tit with a Roe deer barking in the background.
The coal tits came very close to my hide.
In another recording you can actually hear their wings beating when flying from one branch to the other.

#fieldrecoding #sound #birdsOfMastodon #bioacoustics

Clemens Pitschke Apr 9

Been on the lookout or rather hearout for Black grouse today.
Haven't had much luck on this spot, but a friend who was also attending the count was lucky to hear and see a pair.
Got some lovely recordings of other birds nonetheless. Currently sorting and naming everything. Will share something soon.

#BirdsOfMastodon #birding #fieldrecording #sound #nature #birdcount #bioacoustics

Dan Stowell Apr 7

BioDCASE challenge now open! Datasets and code for SIX computational tasks in animal sound: https://biodcase.github.io/challenge2026/ (Do share it to students etc!) #bioacoustics #machinelistening #ai4good #DCASE

BioDCASE Challenge - BioDCASE

Tasks We are excited to announce the 2026 BioDCASE task...

Clemens Pitschke Apr 1

Raven is now free and the workbench software Cornell has developed looks very promising/ intuitive for what it is.
Next item on my to-do list - learn this stuff!!!

I guess Raven Compass is also usefull for people who just want to do a quick conversion of many files.

https://www.ravensoundsoftware.com/software/raven-workbench/

#freeSoftware #bioacoustics #cornell #sound #PAM

Plants can sense the sound of rain, a new study finds

Plants can sense the sound of rain, a new study finds

Can you hear it? That’s the sound of a successful rainforest recovery program.

Can we talk to the animals? The ethics of using machine learning to decode animal communication - Topoi

BioDCASE Challenge - BioDCASE

Raven Workbench – Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Cornell University