Scientists have solved the riddle behind one of the most recognisable, and annoying, household sounds: the dripping tap. And crucially, they have also identified a simple solution to stop it, which most of us already have in our kitchens.
Mice court one another with ultrasonic love songs that are inaudible to the human ear. New research shows they make these unique high frequency sounds using a mechanism that has only previously been observed in supersonic jet engines.
Researchers have finally worked out where the noise that makes kettles whistle actually comes from – a problem which has puzzled scientists for more than 100 years.
The screeching produced by children starting out on the violin has curdled the blood of many a parent over the centuries. A pre-concert talk at the Science Festival asks what science can tell us about why the violin is so hard to play.
Why does one violin sound different to another? Investigating this question has brought together researchers from music, engineering, experimental psychology and computer science.
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