Anything is better than...bug day
June 7, 2010 8:41 PM Subscribe
Bugging Bugs (By Listening To Their Insides) - "A team of Clarkson University scientists led by Prof. Igor Sokolov are using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to record sounds emanating from inside living insects like flies, mosquitoes and ladybugs. "
Previous thread on atomic force microscopy.
A Rice scientist explains some of the "basics" of a.f.m.
Previous thread on atomic force microscopy.
A Rice scientist explains some of the "basics" of a.f.m.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
For real, though, the internal sounds of a fly are full on eerie.
posted by darkstar at 9:37 PM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by darkstar at 9:37 PM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
I am definitely going to throw these recordings right in the middle of otherwise-standard mixtapes for my friends, and then be like "oh by the way, that thing you're listening to? It's the inside of a ladybug." And then maybe someone can record a pop song over the sound of the inside of an insect and I'll feel like I'm finally living in the future.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:39 PM on June 7, 2010
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:39 PM on June 7, 2010
Speaking of cool sciency sound files, I have to link also to this cool page which has various sound files of the sound of the first 100 million years of the Big Bang. My favorite: the 20-second compression.
posted by darkstar at 9:47 PM on June 7, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 9:47 PM on June 7, 2010 [4 favorites]
The ladybug was surprising. Very cool post.
posted by figment of my conation at 10:45 PM on June 7, 2010
posted by figment of my conation at 10:45 PM on June 7, 2010
Seems to be quite a lot of reverb inside a fly.
Seems to be quite a lot of reverb inside a Human FLy, too.
posted by Skygazer at 12:13 AM on June 8, 2010
Seems to be quite a lot of reverb inside a Human FLy, too.
posted by Skygazer at 12:13 AM on June 8, 2010
I see your big bang and raise you one montezuma oropendola.
What's that? Sorry, I can't hear you... jupiter and saturn are singing to me...
posted by sexyrobot at 12:20 AM on June 8, 2010 [2 favorites]
What's that? Sorry, I can't hear you... jupiter and saturn are singing to me...
posted by sexyrobot at 12:20 AM on June 8, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's the newest sound around!
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:18 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:18 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
The fly sounds like a fly buzzing around outside a tube. The ladybug on the other hand sounds like the aphid killing machine that she is!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 4:27 AM on June 8, 2010
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 4:27 AM on June 8, 2010
I don't understand how things that small can produce such low frequencies, with a wave length many thousands of times larger than themselves. 20,000 Hz has a wavelength of about 3/4". At one tenth of an inch the wavelength is that of a 100,000 Hz sound, way above human hearing. Are these sidebands of some kind?
I guess the bug body can mechanically move at any rate it wants, and that phono needle device registers it, but I don't know if that can properly be called sound.
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:09 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
I guess the bug body can mechanically move at any rate it wants, and that phono needle device registers it, but I don't know if that can properly be called sound.
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:09 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
If bug sings in the woods, but it can't act as a transducer to generate and emit waves in the surrounding medium, does it still bother the neighbors?
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:13 AM on June 8, 2010
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:13 AM on June 8, 2010
Well that is just cool.
posted by MarshallPoe at 6:35 AM on June 8, 2010
posted by MarshallPoe at 6:35 AM on June 8, 2010
Y'know, they used to call bebop "bug music"...
Thanks for the post, B'stan!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:37 AM on June 8, 2010
Thanks for the post, B'stan!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:37 AM on June 8, 2010
Very cool, especially if you open them all at once.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:21 AM on June 8, 2010
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:21 AM on June 8, 2010
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posted by darkstar at 9:33 PM on June 7, 2010 [8 favorites]