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Human beings don’t come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of Arizona researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue. The team presents their findings at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 2 – 6 in San Francisco, Calif.

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What’s the best place to conduct a conversation about a confidential or even classified matter? Surprisingly, probably not a conference room designed in accordance with acoustical criteria approved by the Department of Defense. While such “secret” rooms might meet DOD standards, they offer less protection against snooping than is found in a luxury condo. So says Marlund Hale of Advanced Engineering Acoustics in Simi Valley, California, who evaluated the acoustic performance of several classified spaces.

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Craig Dolder, an acoustical engineer, always wanted to go to a Formula 1 Grand Prix but knew he needed to protect himself from the deafening roar of the engines. The advice he found online varied and the technical papers he read provided assessments of sound levels for NASCAR and other races, but he could find nothing that measured the noise levels or dosage specifically for Formula 1. So he decided to conduct his own test.

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The American English speech variant known as uptalk, or "Valley Girl speak" – marked by a rise in pitch at the ends of sentences – is typically associated with young southern Californian females. New research shows uptalk is expanding to other demographic groups, including males.

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Tongue twisters are not just fun to say; it turns out that these sound-related slip-ups can also open windows into the brain’s speech-planning processes. A team from MIT will report new insights gleaned from a comparison of two types of tongue twisters at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 2-6, 2013, in San Francisco, Calif.

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When attached to the wheels or the tracks of rail transit systems, vibration absorbers may reduce the noise from trains, bringing more peace and quiet to passengers and those who work or live near the tracks. In tests of two major metropolitan public rail systems, researchers say that vibration absorbers have a modest effect if any on wheel or rail rolling noise, but they may be effective in reducing wheel squeal.

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Our voice can reveal a lot about us: our age, our gender, and now – it seems – our height as well. A new study by researchers at Washington University, UCLA, and Indiana University found that listeners can accurately determine the relative heights of speakers just by listening to them talk. The key clue may be contained in a particular type of sound produced in the lower airways of the lungs, known as a subglottal resonance.

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The mating roar of a male harbor seal is supposed to attract a partner, not a predator. Unfortunately for the seals, scientists have found evidence that marine-mammal-eating killer whales eavesdrop on their prey. Previous research had shown mammal-eating killer whales are nearly silent before making a kill, neither vocalizing nor using their echolocation. The likely reason, researchers say, is the excellent hearing of the seals, porpoises, and other animals the whales stalk.

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The sounds of bubbles escaping from melting ice make underwater glacial fjords one of the loudest natural marine environments on earth, according to research to be presented at the fall meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA).

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Brazilian researchers study acoustics of the caxirola, official World Cup instrument, in work to be presented at the fall meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA).

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Susan E. Fox has been selected to be the next Executive Director of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA).

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Researchers will present some of the latest findings from the science of sound at a webcast press briefing at 2:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. PDT) on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. The briefing will cover select topics being presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013) in Montréal, Québec, Canada, June 2-7, 2013.

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A study presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013) in Montreal shows the adverse impact of invasive frog species’ songs.

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During command and control operations, military personnel are frequently exposed to extreme auditory overload. Adding a visual cue, such as texting, was explored by a team of researchers in Canada as a way to overcome this problem.

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A team of speech scientists and psychologists discuss a novel approach to deciphering Armstrong’s famous moon landing quote. The work will be presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), held June 2-7 in Montreal.

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A new approach achieves a significant level of isolation between the front and rear listening zones within a car. The new design will be presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), held June 2-7 in Montreal.

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Engineers are using high-frequency sound waves to break down plant materials in order to cook up a better batch of biofuel. The team will present its findings at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), held June 2-7 in Montreal.

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Researchers trying to make an artificial cicada for underwater communication will present their work at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), held June 2-7 in Montreal.

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A team of mechanical engineers has been assessing whether flames might change the sound of firefighters' personal safety alarms. The researchers will present their findings at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), to be held June 2-7, in Montreal.

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Using the sensitive ears of a parasitic fly for inspiration, a group of researchers has created a new type of microphone that achieves better acoustical performance than what is currently available in hearing aids. The scientists will present their results at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics, held June 2-7 in Montreal.