Study Finds Falling Trees Make Sound Even if No One is Around to Hear It

 

Photo: nicolas.boullosa / cc

It's a riddle that's been twisting brains for generations: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The answer, at least according to a comprehensive study of nature's noises, is 'yes' -- but it may be drowned out by the hum of a motor vehicle. For the last two years, researchers have been placing microphones throughout Oregon's Crater Lake National Park in order to database and analyze what sort of sounds can be heard in some of the remotest places. And it turns out, evidence of human activity is far more pervasive than you might have imagined.

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