Monday, 22 June 2020

Silence is Golden

The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown has substantially reduced the hum of noise from human activity and this appears to provided opportunities for many areas of science (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jun/20/why-lockdown-silence-was-golden-for-science). It's not only that one can now hear nature, encapsulated in bird song. The lack of human noise has also provided opportunities for psychologists who want to measure the stress generated in our cities by the unrelenting hum (or even to understand why some people miss the sounds). Seismologists can also get a clear look at minor vibrations without their being masked by human activity. Hopefully, however, this will be a short-lasting opportunity.
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