Latest news with #25thInternationalCongressonAcoustics
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Plants can hear tiny wing flaps of pollinators
Our planet runs on pollinators. Without bees, moths, weevils, and more zooming around and spreading plants' reproductive cells, plants and important crops would not grow. Without plants we would not breathe or eat. When these crucial pollinating species visit flowers and other plants, they produce a number of characteristic sounds, such as wing flapping when hovering, landing, and taking off. Depending on the size of the pollinator, these sounds are extremely small, especially compared to the other vibrations and acoustics of insect life. In new research presented today at the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and 25th International Congress on Acoustics, it appears that plants can respond to the tiny wingbeats of insects. 'Plant-pollinator coevolution has been studied primarily by assessing the production and perception of visual and olfactory cues, even though there is growing evidence that both insects and plants can sense and produce, or transmit, vibroacoustic signals,' said Francesca Barbero, a professor of zoology at the University of Turin in Italy. A team of entomologists, sound engineers, and plant physiologists played recordings of the buzzing sounds made by the tiny Rhodanthidium sticticum bee near some growing flowers called snapdragons (from the genus Antirrhinum). The bees in this genus are known to be efficient snapdragon pollinators. The team then monitored the flowers' reactions. The sound of the bees appears to trigger the snapdragons to increase their sugar and nectar volume. The noise can even change how the genes that control both sugar transport and nectar production behave. According to the team, this response could be a survival and co-evolution strategy, especially if the snapdragons can influence the time that pollinators spend on their flowers. 'The ability to discriminate approaching pollinators based on their distinctive vibroacoustic signals could be an adaptive strategy for plants,' said Barbero. What is less clear is whether the plant acoustics can influence the insect's behavior. For example, can sounds made by plants draw in a suitable pollinator. [ Related: ] 'If this response from insects is confirmed, sounds could be used to treat economically relevant plants and crops, and increase their pollinators' attraction,' said Barbero. The team is currently analyzing snapdragon response to other pollinators to try and learn more. 'The multitude of ways plants can perceive both biotic factors — such as beneficial and harmful insects, other neighboring plants — and abiotic cues, like temperature, drought, and wind in their surroundings, is truly astonishing,' Barbero said. The data in this research has not been peer reviewed yet or published in any scientific journal. The project, 'Good Vibes: How do plants recognise and respond to pollinator vibroacoustic signals?' is funded by the Human Frontier Science Program and is a collaborative effort between the University of Turin, I²SysBio in Valencia, and the Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration at the University of Technology Sydney.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New US sonar tech to hunt hidden WWII-era bombs buried at 400+ underwater sites
More than 400 underwater sites across the U.S. may be contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO)—decades-old bombs and munitions that failed to detonate and now pose serious safety risks, especially in shallow waters now transitioning to public use. Connor Hodges, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin, is working on advancing underwater detection by studying how UXOs degrade over time and how those changes affect their acoustic signatures. 'Many of these sites are in shallow water, potentially posing a threat to human safety, and date back several decades,' said Hodges. 'This long exposure to the environment leads to corrosion as well as encrustation in the form of barnacles or algal growth.' UXOs may remain dormant for decades, but if disturbed—stepped on, struck, or moved—they could still detonate. Traditional sonar systems rely on recognizing shapes and materials underwater. But as corroded bombs lose their distinct appearance, they begin to blend into the seabed. The acoustic signals they return weaken or shift, increasing the chance of false negatives during surveys. To better understand how aged UXOs behave acoustically, Hodges and his team examined a series of AN-Mk 23 practice bombs—small-scale training bombs used during WWII. These particular munitions had been submerged in a brackish pond on Martha's Vineyard for over 80 years. The researchers compared the sonar response of these corroded, biofouled bombs with that of pristine ones. They measured how sound waves scattered off the bombs from various angles and directions, discovering that degradation significantly changes the object's acoustic resonance and returns a much weaker signal. 'Acoustic scattering techniques give an insight into the internal structure of the object imaged, as well as a method to 'see' into the seafloor,' said Hodges. As military sites are repurposed for civilian use, understanding how old munitions interact with sonar becomes increasingly vital. Hodges emphasizes the importance of UXO detection in environmental remediation and public safety: 'There is a risk of detonation if they are stepped on or otherwise disturbed,' he added. 'This poses a larger risk to human safety in shallow waters, and UXO identification and recovery becomes vital as old sites are transitioned away from military use.' Hodges plans to expand his work to include other types of munitions and explore different corrosion and encrustation scenarios. His research may ultimately contribute to more reliable models for sonar-based UXO detection—critical tools for military, environmental, and humanitarian operations. 'Underwater UXO can be tricky to find and recover, so it is important that this can be done safely and effectively,' said Hodges. 'We hope this work will ultimately help save lives.' Hodges will discuss this research on Monday, May 19, at 8 am CT as part of the joint 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and 25th International Congress on Acoustics.
