Acoustic World

What if dolphins call each other by name? A single whistle can travel across the vast ocean, carrying the identity of the individual who made it. In this episode, Professor Vincent Janik from the University of St Andrews explores the fascinating world of dolphin communication, revealing how signature whistles help maintain complex social relationships and what they can teach us about animal cognit...

🐘 You may have heard the powerful trumpet of an elephant across the savannah. Are you curious to know about the secret layer of communication they use that is completely silent to human ears?  🎤 Professor Angela Stoeger of the University of Vienna is ready to help us understand the world of infrasound, uncovering how these majestic creatures stay in contact over vast distances.  🔊 Listen to the...

🎶 From the gentle melody of a lullaby to the driving rhythm of a festive celebration, music is a heartbeat of human life found in every corner of the globe. Are you curious to know if music is truly a universal language shared by all cultures?  🎤 Assistant Professor Nori Jacoby of Cornell University is ready to help us explore "music without borders," uncovering the fascinating commona...

🍂 You may have watched a tiny insect climbing a stem in total silence. Are you curious to know if there is a "trembling world" of messages moving right beneath its feet?  🎤 Assistant Professor Rachele Nieri of the University of Trento is ready to help us understand biotremology, uncovering how insects use substrate vibrations like miniature earthquakes to communicate.  🔊 Listen to the...

🗣️ From speaking and singing to a sudden shout, the human voice is a powerful carrier of words, emotions, and identity. But have you ever wondered what biological architecture makes all of this possible? 🎤 Professor Tecumseh Fitch of the University of Vienna is ready to help us understand the "architecture of sound," uncovering the secrets of the vocal apparatus across different species...

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🌿 You may have heard the birds singing in the trees or toads croaking in a spring pond. Are you curious to know how we can use these sounds to count species without even being there? 🎤 Assistant Professor Jeppe Rasmussen of the University of Copenhagen is ready to help us understand the world of passive acoustic monitoring, uncovering how artificial intelligence helps us listen to entire ecosyst...

🚋 You may have heard the trembling voice of someone anxious or the jolly tone of a friend sharing good news. Are you curious to know if animals also express their emotions through their voices? 🎤 Associate Professor Elodie Briefer of the University of Copenhagen is ready to help us understand the "sound of emotions," uncovering how we can measure feelings in the animal kingdom. 🔊 List...

🎸 You may have heard a piercing scream in a horror movie or a deep growl in a metal track. Are you curious to know why these harsh sounds are so difficult to ignore? 🎤 Professor David Reby of the University of Saint Etienne is ready to help us understand the physics of non-linear acoustic phenomena, uncovering the secrets behind the sounds that grab our attention. 🔊 Listen to the episode to und...

🐟 You may have often heard the phrase "silent like a fish". Are you curious to know if the underwater world is actually as quiet as it seems, or if there is a secret conversation happening beneath the surface?  🎤 Associate Professor Clara Amorim of the University of Lisbon is ready to help us understand the world of fish communication, unveiling how these creatures are surprisingly cha...

🦜You may have heard a parrot talk or a songbird singing a beautiful song. Are you curious to know how they are able to do that? 🎤 Professor Emeritus Carel Ten Cate of Leiden University is ready to help us understand the world of vocal learning, revealing the story behind these speaking animals 🔊 Listen to the episode to understand how fascinating and deep the research of this unbelievable birds...

❓ Have you ever wondered if a baby's cry means something? And do great apes have something similar? 🎤 Join us as Professor Florence Levrero of the University of Saint-Etienne casts a light on babies’ cries and great apes’ vocalisation. 🔊 Listen to the episode to discover similarities and differences between the human and the ape world, and maybe you will even get the key to understanding what a...

📣 What is rhythm? Is it the missing link between human music and animal calls? 🎤 Join us as Professor Andrea Ravignani of the Sapienza University of Rome explores the rhythmic world of humans and animals. 🔊 Listen to the episode to discover why rhythm is everywhere, from the beating of a heart to the calls of a cricket, and the challenges of studying this universal language.  Because the World...

Acoustic World will take a few weeks off for the holidays See you all in 2026!

What are ultrasonic sounds? Why do they seem to be more common in small animals? And more importantly, how can we study and understand sounds that we cannot even hear? Let’s ask Marina Scheumann, team leader of the Communication and Cognition Group group at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover,  Listen on Spotify, Spreaker and Apple Podcasts #acousticworld #bioacoustic #podcast

🍃Imagine you are in a forest and suddenly you hear a powerful sound too harmonious to be an insect and too loud to be a bird… 🎶Meet those fascinating animals, the singing primates, in a journey through the canopy with Professor Marco Gamba of the University of Turin! #acousticworld #bioacoustic #podcast

Aeroplanes taking off, cars honking, people chattering… How do animals manage to communicate in urban settings? Turn up the volume for the third episode of Acoustic World with Prof. Dr Hans Slabbekoorn of Leiden University.

How can a choir harmonise? Do animals hear a difference between octaves and so understand musical notes? Dr. Marisa Hoeschele, group leader of the “Musicality and Bioacoustics” at the Acoustics Research Institute in Vienna, is answering our questions in the second episode of Acoustic World.

This year marks the 100th birthday of the field of Bioacoustics, established by Ivan Regen in 1925, which studies how animals hear, produce and propagate sound. Let’s discover this discipline with Nicolas Mathevon, Professor of the University of Saint Etienne, in the first episode of Acoustic World!