Recent advances in technology and new trends in commercial air travel could make supersonic flight economically viable. But regulations will have to change first.
Monasticism developed, in part, because people were seeking silence.
Mario Mifsud
Monasticism developed in part because people were seeking the solace of quiet places But finding solitude was a struggle. And many realized that true silence could be found only within.
It’s going to get loud.
Alexey Laputin/Shutterstock.com
An AC/DC-loving biologist tests the band’s 1980 assertion that “rock ‘n’ roll ain’t noise pollution.” Turns out it can be – and the negative effects of noise can ripple through an ecosystem.
Living alongside humans gets noisier all the time.
Katrina Burgers/Shutterstock.com
From the oil that makes your petrol, to car parts, to the groceries and other things in your weekly shop, retail consumerism is driving a boom in the amount of noise in the world’s oceans.
In our increasingly noisy world, how do you make sure that your voice is heard? If you’re a bird, that depends on the type of noise and what you’re trying to say.
Under the El tracks, downtown Chicago.
Franck Michel
New research shows that noise pollution in US cities is concentrated in poor and minority communities. Beyond regulating airplane noise, the US has done relatively little to curb noise pollution.
An F/A-18 Hornet breaking the sound barrier.
Wikimedia Commons
Fly-bys by RAAF Super Hornets and army helicopters are a noisy finale to the Brisbane Festival. While many find this sound awe-inspiring, what of those with lived experience of war?
Humpback whales are deterred from their migration routes by the noise of air guns used to survey the ocean floor for oil and gas deposits, a new study has found.
A red fox listening for prey under the snow in Yellowstone National Park. Noise can affect foxes and other animals that rely on their hearing when they hunt.
Neal Herbert/NPS
A recent study finds that noise from human activities is intruding into many parks and other protected areas. Creating quiet zones and noise corridors can help reduce impacts from noise pollution.
Right whales have been shown to be affected by noise pollution.
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute/Flickr
From Long Range Acoustic Devices used to disperse protesters to ear-splitting military drones to songs blasted on rotation to prisoners, ours is an age in which sound has been repositioned as a tool of terror.
We tend to think of the oceans as quiet, when in fact they’re anything but. Noise is the “forgotten pollutant”, but the good news is that unlike many other pollutants it can be switched off if we try.
The author began hearing the sound at night, between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m.
'Street' via www.shutterstock.com
Shortly after Glen MacPherson started hearing strange humming noises, he created the World Hum and Database Project so people around the world could document their own experiences with the Hum.
Too much background noise has been linked to heart disease, strokes and even holding back children’s learning.
Urban noise pushes birds to sing in high pitch and ship sound deafens whales and dolphins.
John Haslam, Eric Bégin, IK's World Trip, Green Fire Productions, flickker photos, Jay Ebberly / Flickr