1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hey guys, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: This is Alice, I don't know if the science editor 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. And this is Robert Lamb, 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: science writerer at how stuff works dot com. And uh, 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: I have to ask, what's the most annoying sound for you? Personally? 7 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: Most annoying sound has got to be my dad snoring. 8 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Dad, but it's sure anyone snoring really, But 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: I have this vision of going across the country and 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: I think we're going on a college tour, and my 11 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: dad and I shared a hotel room and he snored. 12 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: He just snored so loudly. And I remember contemplating sleeping 13 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: in the bathtub, although I never did. And this is 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: really before I got familiar with all the different kinds 15 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: of your plugs out there. Yeah, I want about um, Well, 16 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: I I've had to be around some snoring people before, 17 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:00,959 Speaker 1: such as like I think, and I'm like some sort 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: of like youth trip in in high school. I really 19 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: tempted to ask if you're a snore, but I will not. 20 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: I do not think I am a snore. If I 21 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: am a snore, then people that have slept near me 22 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: have been just amazingly polite in my entire life. It 23 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: would really be a shocking revelation. Um. But but now 24 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: that the noise, probably the noise that annoys me the 25 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: most is anything in a movie theater that's not the 26 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: movie like and I'm actually really like this wine. I 27 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: never go to the theater because I'm just super picky 28 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: about this, Like if if I have to hear somebody 29 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: eat popcorn, I get kind of irritated, even though people 30 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: are like popcorn is have two I have to Like 31 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: people who don't even like popcorn go to the movie 32 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: theater and they feel like they have to eat popcorn, 33 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: and I'm like, I'm trying to listen to it, like 34 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: you know, some heartfelt scene or it's like something really violent, disturbing, 35 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: and here's somebody like chomping down or it's nachos and 36 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: things like that much. And then there's the whole you know, 37 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: anything else too, like cell phones, chitter chatter. It just 38 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: it gets to me. I have to confess. When you 39 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: first asked me if when we were talking about this 40 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: podcast with the most annoying sound in the world, was 41 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:09,399 Speaker 1: was thinking about the movie dumb and dumber. Yeah. Anyway, 42 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: So moving on to noise pool. Basically we're talking about 43 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: noise pollution, and a lot of noise pollution, at least 44 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: as far as it concerns humans. Does come down to 45 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: sounds that are annoying and disruptive that are allowed. Yeah, 46 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: Like I keep thinking back to Um, there's this awesome 47 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: segment on this British comedy show called look Around You, 48 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: which is a parody of science shows for young people. Um, 49 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: so it's great if you get if you get a chance, 50 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 1: you know, do like a Google or YouTube search on 51 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: the name Leonard Hatred and I'll take you right to this. 52 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: This guy's like he comes on the show and he's 53 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: like talking about how this is a fictional character about 54 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: how his parents snored when he's a child and they 55 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: lived by Heathrow Airport. Then they moved because it was 56 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: too noisy, but they moved into a house that was 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: next to Gatwick Airport. Uh. Then he left, he got married, 58 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: he moved to the countryside and then they built this 59 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: somebody build an apatoire directly across the street from the house, 60 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: so he had to listen to the sounds of cattle 61 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: being slaughtered all the time. And to top that off, 62 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: his wife and the sister in law that lived there 63 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: with him suffered from a condition that caused them to 64 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: scream uncontrollably. So he developed this spray called silence with 65 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: a P and if he would spray it onto his ears, 66 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: and he admitted that it contained quote liquid skin, So 67 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: we'd spray it on and it would just like cause 68 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: skin to temporarily grow over his ears, so he couldn't 69 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: hear anything. He just had a solid ear structure, just 70 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: a solid like fleshy knob for an ear. Yeah, no 71 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: nifty ear canal all that stuff gone. It's pretty grass, Yeah, 72 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: pretty gross. Mr Hatred. So so yeah, let's talk about 73 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: um about noises and how how these different noises and 74 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: different levels of noise affect human health. Let's take it 75 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: down and let's break it down to decibels. All right, 76 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: So near total silence, you're gonna have zero decibles gone on. Yeah, 77 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: here's an example, got it all right? Next, Well, we're assuming, 78 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: I mean, we're assuming that listeners are listening to us. Well, 79 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: I assume that I demand it. Actually, if you don't 80 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: have time to like listen to us, and like a 81 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: closed environment, and then come on, what are you in 82 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: your car? Pull over? What are you doing? Now? We 83 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: have a whisper, so give us a whisper. I don't 84 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: think I've ever heard you whisper. Give us a whisper. Hey, guys, 85 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: thanks for listening to the podcast. That that would be 86 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: kind of a whisper. Right, so running roughly around fifteen decibels. 87 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: And then we get into a normal conversation, right like 88 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: we're having now, and that's what So sometimes we get excited, 89 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: so it escalates a little, but like just normal conversation, 90 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: that will be sixty decipls. Okay, vacuum cleaner, Yeah, that's 91 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: going to be what do you think you're robotic? The 92 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: vacuum cleaner does probably around seventy decibles? Is it loud? 93 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: I would think it might be a little it's a 94 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: little quieter, but the roomboat tends I don't know, it's 95 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: still you can't sleep with it running, you know, it 96 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: still sounds like a vacuum cleaner. Doubtless there is somebody 97 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: who does sleep with their vacuum cleaner running, maybe like 98 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: it's a time saver. Well, I mean, I guess by 99 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: nature is supervise it and actually I would be a 100 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: little you know, hesitant to let that thing have free 101 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: run of the house. So your average passenger car going 102 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: sixty that's going to be about seventy seven decibles. Yep, 103 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: somebody hanks a horn, you've got a hundred and ten decibles, 104 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: all right, So we're ratching up the levels. So now 105 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: we're heading to a rock concert. What do we got now, 106 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty decibels fire off a gun or a 107 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: light of firecracker hundred and forty deciples. And if you're 108 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: you know, within close proximity to a jet taking off, 109 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: you're looking at a hundred and fifty decibles and a 110 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: ruptured ear drum. That's great. So yeah, that the basically 111 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: breaks down to any sound above eighty five decibels can 112 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 1: cause hearing loss, and the loss is related to both 113 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: the power of the sound um and the length of 114 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: exposure and like the proximity to it, you know. So 115 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, it's a difference between having your 116 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: head next to a jackhammer, hearing a jackhammer, you know, 117 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: across the street, and having to work in like a 118 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 1: you know, a sandwich shop next to the jackhammer all 119 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: day long, right, which is why. Um, you know, agencies 120 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: like osha I regulate a noise exposure on the job. Um. 121 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: So as an example of this, if you have to 122 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: raise your voice to be heard, you're probably dealing with 123 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: noise of about eighty five decibles. Yeah. So ye, I 124 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: think back to the last time you were at a 125 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: at a club or at a rock concert, etcetera. You 126 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: were if you were having a shout to be heard, 127 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: then you know you were in a pretty noisy environment. Yeah. 128 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: And when you're talking about eight hours of about ninety decibles, 129 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: then you were talking about ear damage. Yeah, and that 130 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: a hundred and forty decibls like the gun shot. Yeah, 131 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:00,720 Speaker 1: you're not waiting eight hours at that point. At that point, 132 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: it's immediate, immediate damage and actual pain. Yeah. Like did 133 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: you ever see Copland? I don't think I did see that. 134 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: That was like there was the movie where Sylvester salone. 135 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: You played like a cop and you're like put on 136 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: weight for it and all, and like he has like 137 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: hearing damage in one ear and like the villain of 138 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: the piece. So I think it is Harvey Kitel, Like 139 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: they're they rough them up at one point and they 140 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: like fire a gun next to his other ear to like, 141 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 1: you know, because they're bad guys. So yeah, so that 142 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: would be a situation where you would have immediate hearing 143 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: damage and pain in the ear. Yeah. And even when 144 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: a noise isn't actively deafening you, you can have a 145 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: health effects like of course hearing loss. You know, you 146 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: can disturb your sleep, you can have cardiovascular problems, um, 147 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: and you can even affect your social behavior. Actually, yeah, 148 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: actually ran across some really cool studies because there's something 149 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: a lot of people looked into, um usually with the 150 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: advent of iPods. I should think that there's a whole 151 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: lot of money pouring into research on hearing loss and 152 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: stuff like tonitas um. With the you know, just ubiquitous 153 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: nous of iPods. That actually is what you guys are 154 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: probably listening to us now, or many of you at least. 155 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: So I'm hesitant to I'm not, you know, knocking on iPods, 156 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: but a lot of us just listen to them that 157 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: are levels that are way too loud. Yeah. And and 158 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: part of it too is because it's like you'll be 159 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: listening you're on the train, right, so there's like a 160 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: noisy train sound. But and then there's also some like annoying, um, 161 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: you know, chatter or like, you know, whatever is else 162 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: is going on the train. You want to block that out, 163 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: so you crank up the headphones a little and uh 164 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: and yeah, so that it all sort of adds up. 165 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: So to talk to me about some of these studies, Yeah, 166 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: So the Department of um Psychiatry at the University of 167 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: London conducted an in depth study in two thousand three 168 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 1: and they came to some interesting conclusions. They said, the 169 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: risk of developing mental or physical illness due to environmental 170 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: noise is actually pretty small. You know, you're probably not 171 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:55,719 Speaker 1: going to be driven completely crazy, and this is of 172 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: course ruling out again actual light damage to your hearing. 173 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: But they said that part of the problem is the 174 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: interaction between people, noise and ill health is a complex relationship. 175 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: Humans are are not usually passive recipients of noise exposure, 176 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: and they developed these coping strategies to reduce the impact 177 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: or they just you know, they move away from the noise. 178 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: Have you heard about situations in which prisoners are subject 179 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: to constant noise in a modification of torture? I suppose, Yeah, 180 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: I mean that sounds horrible, horrible. It's like when they 181 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: were trying to get uh noriega okay out of his compound, 182 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: remember in Panama, I don't remember this, and they were 183 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: like pumping rock music, you know. Or actually there there 184 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:44,679 Speaker 1: was like a recent you know document that that came 185 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: out talking about you know, different music that was used 186 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:52,719 Speaker 1: as a an instrument of interrogation um or you know, 187 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: torture on on Guantanamo and going Tuantamo Bay inmates. Yeah, 188 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,199 Speaker 1: I think that's right. Yeah, and like and it's like 189 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: some like I think like Trent some Trent Resiner's music 190 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: for n inch Nails came up and he was like 191 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: legitimately offended, you know, because you create this art and 192 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: uh and then somebody's gonna use your art to inflict 193 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, pain on somebody, psychological pain. So so yeah, 194 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: that one of the factors here is that people can 195 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: cope with with different levels of noise pollution and they 196 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: can move away from it, well, assuming they can move 197 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: away from it, right, So there's an element of choice. Yeah. 198 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: But then but and then a lot of it comes 199 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: down to how it affects your your quality of life, 200 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: all right, you know you have again it's like hearing, 201 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: there's the hearing lots. Yeah, but it also disturbs your sleep. Uh, 202 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: you know, if you have to listen to the jackhammer 203 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:41,719 Speaker 1: all night or or you know, if you have some 204 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: sort of your you know, you live next to an 205 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: airport or something. Um, not getting enough sleep can severely 206 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: harm your ability to function during the day. In children, 207 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: chronic aircraft noise exposure has been found to impair reading, comprehension, 208 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: and long term memory. Yeah, and maybe associated with raised 209 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:03,599 Speaker 1: blood pressure from you know, further research pending on that 210 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: this and h Then there's a two thousand five study 211 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: from a team of Spanish researchers and they found that 212 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: in urban areas, households are willing to pay approximately four 213 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: euros per descibel per year for noise reduction. So that's 214 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: kind of interesting to think in terms of this, like, 215 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: you know, your ability to move away from it. It's 216 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: kind of becomes a privilege, Yeah, or at least in 217 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: some places depends on how you know an urban the 218 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: urban environment happens to work. And in two thousands seven, UH, 219 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: the World Health Organization Noise Environmental Burden on Disease Working 220 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: Group published findings on the health related effects of noise 221 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: for Europeans and They concluded about two percent of Europeans 222 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: suffer severely um disturbed sleep and fiftcent suffer severe annoyance 223 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: due to environmental noise. And that's to find as community 224 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: noise emitted from like road traffic, trains, aircraft flying over. Yeah. So, um, 225 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: when I was younger, I lived in the city. I 226 00:11:57,559 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: lived in a big city for a long time, almost 227 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: a decade. I went to college and then lived there 228 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,319 Speaker 1: for a couple of years after in the city. And 229 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 1: it's weird to me because I am really sensitive to noise. 230 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,839 Speaker 1: I mean, if you were to come visit us in 231 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: our Atlanta office, Um, you know, even the editorial department, 232 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: you can kind of hear pin drop. A lot of 233 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:17,839 Speaker 1: the other departments around house stuff, works, dot com. You 234 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: a little noise, you're a little bit more rambunctious, especially 235 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 1: when the development guys were around and they were doodle 236 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,599 Speaker 1: all sorts of crazy stuff. But editorial department tends to 237 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 1: be a little quieter. Yeah, people are. But anyway, point 238 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: in the story is that it was it was just 239 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: surprising to me. I would have thought that I would 240 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: have gotten used to noise exposure living in urban environment 241 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: for a period of a couple of years when the 242 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: in laws come in to visit. Um they are there, Uh, 243 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: they always comment on the sound of airplanes flying overhead 244 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 1: right from the airport in back of your house. Do 245 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 1: you guys have an airport in back of your house. Well, no, 246 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 1: but there's an airport, you know, in the area, like 247 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: we have the huge airport in the Atlanta area, and 248 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: but yeah, it's not in the backyard. And I did 249 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: not even think about it. But but then they come 250 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: and stay in They're like, oh, I don't see, got 251 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:01,719 Speaker 1: you deal with this because they're you know, all the 252 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: planes flying overhead and I have to actually think, stop 253 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: and think, and I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess there 254 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: are planes flying overhead kind of constantly. Yeah. Same here 255 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:12,079 Speaker 1: we have a train that runs through the middle of 256 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: the town and I really don't notice it. And then 257 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: again with with the parents staying, they're like, oh, that 258 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,719 Speaker 1: tram was so loud last time. So again it comes 259 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: down to, you know, you can grow accustomed to certain 260 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: levels of noise or figure out how to cope with it. Right, 261 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: And we're not the only life forms that are affected 262 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: by noise. Pollution of other animals have been a little 263 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: selfish so far in this podcast ecocentrics, let's talk about 264 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: some animals and ways in which they deal with noise pollution. Okay, 265 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: a lot of us have heard about stuff affecting whales 266 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: and um all sorts of marine creatures, although we don't 267 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,079 Speaker 1: really know a lot about how noise pollution affects fish. 268 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: That's what that's one interesting factory about. We're researching this. 269 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 1: But for whales, noise pollution can mean a couple of 270 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: things as a way to cope. It can mean that 271 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: they call louder to be heard above the ruckus. Again, 272 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: it's like you're the rock concert and having to speak louder. 273 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: They're having to do the same thing in the ocean 274 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: to communicate or use their echolocation. Yeah. Actually, uh the 275 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: blogger over Discovery News, Jennifer Viegas cover this um in 276 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 1: in July two articles and the title was whales scream 277 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: over noise pollution And that's sort of a disconcerting idea 278 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: of whales screaming that we're causing them to scream. Yeah, 279 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: that's a great headline because screaming whales that's like immediate outrage. Yeah, 280 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: pretty much. And uh So there's also research that North Atlantic. Right, 281 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: whales and other whale species are are in fact engaging 282 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: in this behavior to be heard above stuff like commercial 283 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: ships and other man made noises in the ocean. Uh. 284 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 1: A lot of that is sonar or offshore drilling stuff 285 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, we we went into some of this 286 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: in our podcast about beach whales. That's right, because that's 287 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: one of the things they've been looking into, like navy vessels, um, 288 00:14:55,040 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: interfering with their their echolocation and driving them off course. Yeah, 289 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: and it's particularly be troublesome when the man made noises 290 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: are occurring in the same frequencies as the whales calls, right, 291 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: because that's gonna start affecting stuff, um, you know, whether 292 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: it's migration or mating or just generally whales communicating with 293 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,680 Speaker 1: each other. Yeah, it's like, you know, you get an airplane, 294 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: they ask you to turn off your cell phone and 295 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: what have you during a key parts of the flight 296 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: so you don't interfere with anything. It's kind of like that. 297 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: We're just not very considerate, Like when it comes to 298 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: us going out in the ocean, we're the the jerk 299 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 1: that won't turn your cell phone off. It's important to 300 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: note that Noise pollution can also come from natural sources 301 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 1: like earthquakes for example. So what's the deal with whales? 302 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: I mean, is it easier to constantly shout or just 303 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: go quiet? Well, I mean, we get tired of shouting 304 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: in whales, I imagine do too, So shouting can be 305 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: this huge energy expenditure, so sometimes they will wind up 306 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: going quiet. And what does that mean. It means that 307 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: we're never going to know what's being said. And whale 308 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: calls or songs like such as that of the male humpbacks, right, 309 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 1: they engage in these beautiful whale songs. Yeah, it's kind 310 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: of like, you know, it's like the dude with slide 311 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: hearing loss that goes to a noisy restaurant and you 312 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: can't really hear anybody, so it just doesn't say anything. 313 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: So you know, it's out on the whole conversation you 314 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: could be getting with that guy, right, And it's not 315 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: just in the in the oceans, in a marine environment, 316 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: it's also on land. I mean, like we were talking 317 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: about before, you have aircraft and traffic noises doing a 318 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: lot to contribute to really noisy environment and you think, okay, well, 319 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: well just you know, take it over to Yellowstone or 320 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 1: I'll go to some national park and you know, I 321 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: won't be affected by noise pollution. But again, just as 322 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: we were talking about with light pollution, you can't really 323 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: escape the noise there. Yeah. I actually was in Yosemite 324 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: recently on vacation. Yeah. And uh, and it really doesn't 325 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: like you. It's it's interesting to go there. And like 326 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: you you hear these stories about how the park it 327 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: used to be, like they used to do this thing 328 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: called the firefall, where they like like have burning embers 329 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: and go over the side of this this cliff. Or 330 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: then they would do stuff like like the park rangers 331 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: would would feed up trash from the um leftovers from 332 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: the restaurants directly to the bears so that everybody could watch. 333 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 1: And uh and and and and like we we're laughing 334 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,399 Speaker 1: now and sort of you know, outrage now. But they, 335 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: you know, they like to point out that, you know, 336 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: this was considered okay then, and uh, you know, like 337 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:18,400 Speaker 1: thirty years ago, this was this was perfectly fine. Thirty 338 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: years from now, who knows that, you know, people will 339 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: look back and say, I can't believe they let people 340 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: drive cars into these places, the noisy vehicles or they 341 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: let them have a golf course, you know. Um. Yeah, 342 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: So you go into even these these pristine environments, um, 343 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: you know, in places where nature is the you know, 344 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: the center attraction that you still you know, there's a 345 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 1: sound of construction or the sound of you know, a 346 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: truck bringing you know, groceries up the mountain. So let's 347 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: talk about a couple of the animals that are being 348 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: affected by noise pollution, such as the great tits persis 349 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: major they're singing at at higher frequencies. Then you also 350 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: have female gray tree frogs and those are exposed to 351 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: the sound of passing traffic, so it takes them takes 352 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 1: them longer to locate and find males. Uh. European tree 353 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: frogs on the other end, are just calling less overall. Um. 354 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: Then you also get the sound of overhead aircraft can 355 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,719 Speaker 1: disturb the behavior of harlequin ducks as well as goats. 356 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,639 Speaker 1: Remind me again what a harlequin duck is. It's a 357 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 1: duck that is frequently used as in it for entertainment 358 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: purposes in the courts of Europe. That's just a variety 359 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: of duck. Um. Yeah. And then you have stuff like, 360 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: of course the greater stage grouse and mules deer. They're 361 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,399 Speaker 1: steering clear of noise producing oil and gas developments. And 362 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: it can also affect the ability of a lot of 363 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: animals like owls and bats to find and hunt their prey. Yeah, 364 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: these guys depend on unsound to find their food, so 365 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:45,679 Speaker 1: they'll have the laboratory studies have shown that if they 366 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: encounter areas where there's a lot of noise, they just 367 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: start avoiding those areas. I mean, we're talking about reduced habitat, 368 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 1: which can ultimately, uh put a species at a higher 369 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:56,719 Speaker 1: risk for extinction. Like the way I like to think 370 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: about it is, if you have an animal, a wild 371 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 1: animal in its natural habitat, if you were to build 372 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,919 Speaker 1: a mini mall where its habitat is, then it cannot 373 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: live there anymore. If a mini mall occupies that space. Likewise, 374 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:12,880 Speaker 1: you have the what is a mini mall mini mall, 375 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,239 Speaker 1: like I don't know, like a strip mall. Right, um 376 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 1: but but but but likewise, even if like it was 377 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:20,880 Speaker 1: just an open space and you had a tremendous amount 378 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 1: of noise, that space is occupied by a noise that 379 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: it cannot cope with. So it's that cuts off that 380 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:28,679 Speaker 1: whole area it's as if you built a mini mall there. Well, 381 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: and a lot of land in the US and the 382 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,879 Speaker 1: continent of US is in fact really close to roads, 383 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: which are a great source of noise. So there was 384 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: a stat that we found of land is within just 385 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: one kilometer of a road. Yeah, this distance, the sound 386 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: of an average car is around twenty deciples and the 387 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: at the same distance trucks and motorcycles forty deciples. That's 388 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: a lot of noise. Yeah, so what can we do. Well, 389 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: a lot of it kind of breaks down to make 390 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,520 Speaker 1: less noise. It's kind of quiet people, It's kind of simple. 391 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 1: The The thing is, our lives are pretty noisy, so 392 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 1: you can't just say, like stop driving vehicles or stop 393 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: using roads. So the better solution ends up being things 394 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: like have quieter road surfaces, um put up noise barriers 395 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,680 Speaker 1: like the walls you see you know a lot when 396 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: the whenever the interstate goes through a major city or something. 397 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: Here's a good one appropriate signage in protected areas. But 398 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: this also reminds me of the signs that you'll sometimes 399 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: encounter in different neighborhoods about no honking your horn or 400 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: the laws they have about you know, you can't cruise 401 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 1: this neighborhood, so you can only go buy it, you know, 402 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 1: once in some set amount of time. And I assume 403 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: they're also uh laws regarding like how loud your radio 404 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: can be and stuff like that. Yeah, or even on 405 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: the on the subway, you know, you can't bring a 406 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: boom box. Other people do and it's crazy how loud 407 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: people can make their cell phones on subway. But that's 408 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: something that gets me. It's like, not as much like 409 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: if a dude were to bring a boom box on 410 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:59,239 Speaker 1: and listen to his music at least you yeah, yeah, totally, um, 411 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: like I would respect that a lot more than the 412 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: guy who brings on a cell phone and is going 413 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: to play his cell phone, like to play some track 414 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,720 Speaker 1: off his cell phone. Allowed, And you can't even under 415 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,120 Speaker 1: like it's just this tinny noise you know, coming out. 416 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: It's like what do you you You're not even able 417 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: to do. You don't even hear anything on the subway anyway, 418 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: because you're a Mr Anonymous with your sunglasses and your 419 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: your music or your podcast, I'll turn up loud so 420 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: but still sometimes they'll be that one dude and you're like, 421 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: what's going through your mind. Get some headphones for that thing, 422 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: like it's got a headphone jack on it, and they're 423 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,119 Speaker 1: not that expensive. All right, So now we know when 424 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: Robert's Pitt peeves. So what else can we do. We 425 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: can restrict motorized travel, like you guys are gonna think 426 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: in protected areas in addition to appropriate signage, and that 427 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: would be like maybe you you don't let people drive, 428 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: you know, along all the roads that go through a 429 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: national park. And certainly I think they've they've cut down 430 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: on travel through a lot of a lot of the 431 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: road like that. I think there was a time where 432 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: it was like roads everywhere, let's just drive. Yeah, certainly, 433 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: like nineteen fifties in the United States. I mean they 434 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: were just building out the highway system everywhere. Yeah. So 435 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 1: so I feel like some of the things that we've 436 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: mentioned so far are really addressing the symptoms and not 437 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: the cause of the problem, not the illness itself. So 438 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,959 Speaker 1: this next one is pretty interesting and that it actually 439 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: tries to tackle aircraft and it's called maybe guys have 440 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,879 Speaker 1: heard of this, the Silent Aircraft Initiative. So, um, this 441 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: is a Cambridge m I T venture that was discussed 442 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,639 Speaker 1: a couple of years back. Yeah, and they have this 443 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: this awesome idea for the silent aircraft. The model that 444 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: they're looking at particularly is the Essay X forty. That's 445 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: the silent Aircraft experimental. Uh and uh there have been 446 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: other designs on it as well, and it's it's basically 447 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 1: read because the thing is when you when people design 448 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: an airplane, they really tend not to think about the noise, 449 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: even if you're dealing like a stealth airplane or something. 450 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: It's it's not the noise you're thinking of, like noise. 451 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: It's just it's gonna be as loud as it's going 452 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 1: to be. Deal with it, you know. That's kind of 453 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: the approach. So these guys have like redesigned the airplane, 454 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 1: thinking well, what can we do from a design standpoint 455 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: that cuts down on the noise. Yeah, and I think 456 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: that we should take a second just to note that 457 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 1: it's not going to be silent, right, yes, yeah, silent. 458 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 1: Whenever they refer to silent, they put in in quotations 459 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: because right, so we're talking about an aircraft whose noise 460 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,439 Speaker 1: would probably be hopefully imperceptible. Um, if you're going outside 461 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 1: the perimeter of your regular urban airport. Yeah, and it's 462 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: also not like I think the time frame they were 463 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: looking at was maybe twenty thirty they'd have something. So 464 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: so you guys are not going to be flying on 465 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,199 Speaker 1: this anytime soon. But the mere fact that people are 466 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 1: working on it is great. I'm curious about some of 467 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,239 Speaker 1: the engineering stuff that they have going on in here 468 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: to lower noise pollution. Can we just check out some 469 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 1: also there as a side, they're also looking at improved 470 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: fuel efficiency. That's but yeah, they're they're looking installing the 471 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: engines embedded within the fuselage with intakes above the wings 472 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: to shield most of the engine noise from listeners on 473 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: the ground. So I guess they're kind of redirecting the noise. 474 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: It sounds like, okay, yeah, And then there's they have 475 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: this novel ultra high bypass engine. Would they quote variable 476 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,159 Speaker 1: area exit not? Also okay. This just means that the 477 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: engine can operate for low noise with low speed exhaust 478 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: jets and take off and during climb at takeoff and 479 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: during climb, and then it can be optimized for minimal 480 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: fuel burn during cruise. So it's just you know, geering 481 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: it down a little in terms of how much noise 482 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: is putting on how much fuel it's consuming. Yeah, they've 483 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: also rejiggered the engine exhaust dex so that they can 484 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,480 Speaker 1: kind of absorb the sound, which I thought was pretty 485 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: cool as well. But again, this is not going to 486 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: be coming to an airport near you. Yeah, but but 487 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 1: for a while. Yeah, but it is. It's just such 488 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: a great idea that like maybe the ultimate um take 489 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: home from this is that like what can what can 490 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: be applied to every other aspect of our lives, you know, 491 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: sort of redesigning, rethinking in a way like how it's like, 492 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: you know, let's redesign airplane so it makes less noise, 493 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: Like could you redesign the house or redesign our lives 494 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,360 Speaker 1: so it has less of an impact on the environment 495 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: and the lives around us. But I think culturally speaking, 496 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: noise has such an important part in our lives. Like 497 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,679 Speaker 1: even talking about we're talking about driving cars before, right, 498 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: and if you happen to drive a Prius, say, and 499 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: they've come up with this invention to a noisemaker for 500 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: your Prius, if you're not used to how silent your 501 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:16,959 Speaker 1: your Prius drives. So it's just I mean, it's interesting 502 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: to me in the that noise provides cues to us, 503 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: so we can't really live without, or we're not used 504 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: to living without, you know what I mean. Yeah, Well, 505 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: like this is another not to just continually harp on 506 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: public transportation, but I like think of there's nothing wrong 507 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: with going on public transportation, Mista. Well, like when you 508 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: go to the the train stops here in town, the 509 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: Marta stops and h there's a lot of noise there, 510 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: obviously because you have a train moving through it, but 511 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: then they also pipe in this like horrible you know, 512 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 1: music kind of noise that nobody's listening to. Like I 513 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,399 Speaker 1: can't imagine anybody's I do. At the holidays, I totally 514 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 1: listened to it. Yeah, but when you take Marta, do you? Yes, 515 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: I do, okay, especially in the morning when I'm too 516 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: brain dead to do anything else. You know, when somebody's 517 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: cheerily singing, I'm not talking about singing, I'm talking about 518 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: music that they're piping in. Well, I can't think of 519 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: its music or if it actually has voices, but I listen, Okay, Well, 520 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: maybe something will like it. What I'm just saying, it's 521 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 1: like it's strictly speaking, is it necessary, you know, for 522 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: something we could scale back on and make the world 523 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: a quieter place. Yeah, do you guys have ideas on 524 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,439 Speaker 1: how to make a quieter planet? Please send them to us. 525 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 1: We're at science stuff at how stu first dot com. 526 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 1: But before you wrap it up, let's hear from a listener. 527 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: I've got a cool email here from Mark and he writes, 528 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 1: just listen to your August thirty one podcast in which 529 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 1: you chatted about evolution and slugs. At the end of 530 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 1: the show, it made me think of the Ricky Gervei 531 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: podcast audio book as Carl Pinklington pink Pilkington. I think 532 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 1: it's Pilkington has some interesting theories about evolution and absolutely 533 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 1: hate slugs. And then he points out it is a 534 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 1: free promo of it that came out on like YouTube 535 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 1: a few years back. But I actually listened to it, 536 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: and um, a lot of it is this guy just 537 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: sort of not understanding evolution and Ricky Gervei trying to 538 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: explain evolution, and then the guy talking about how he 539 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: hates flux, which I hate as well. But but Jurvet 540 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,159 Speaker 1: made an interesting point about slugs that may had me 541 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 1: that made me have to stop and rethink them because 542 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: I tend to think that they're worthless and they're disgusting, 543 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,640 Speaker 1: and already talked about why they were the worthless well 544 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: he well, he pointed out that that they're they're they're perfect, 545 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: like they've been around for so long, they're they're filling 546 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: this this particular role in in life itself. Like that's 547 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 1: a perfect design. So you may be grossed out at it, 548 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 1: but that slug is perfect. Same thing you like, do 549 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: you think snakes or spiders are gross? Well, you're looking 550 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: perfect design. Yeah, sure, basis of ecology. I gotta love them. Yeah, 551 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: So thanks Mark, I appreciated checking out that link. Yeah, 552 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: if you guys want to send us your thoughts on 553 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,680 Speaker 1: slugs or the noisy world we live in again, Brett 554 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,359 Speaker 1: science stuff at housta first dot com and over on 555 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,439 Speaker 1: Facebook and Twitter. We're kind of quiet but but very active, 556 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: So check us out on face Book where we're stuff 557 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,040 Speaker 1: in the science lab or um. You can also go 558 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: to Twitter where we're lab stuff and we'll try and 559 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 1: keep you updated on cool stuff that we're finding out 560 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: about and stuff that we're podcasting about. So yes, that's 561 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: all we got. Thanks for listening, guys for more on 562 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff 563 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: works dot Com. Want more how stuff works, check out 564 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: our blogs on the house stuff works dot Com home page.