MIT Experiments Show Plant Seeds Can “Hear” the Sound of Rain—And They Don’t Find It Calming Christopher Plain·April 24, 2026MIT engineers reveal plant seeds can "hear" the sound of rain, which awakens them from a dormant state and prompts them to begin growing.
“Targeted Ultrasound Echolocation” Inspired by Bats is Helping This Engineer Develop Tiny Flying Robots That Navigate in Total Darkness Christopher Plain·November 5, 2025A robotics engineering professor is building tiny, autonomous flying robots that can use sound waves to navigate in total darkness like bats.
Cosmic Mystery Solved? Earth May Reside Within a Huge ‘Void’ in Space Christopher Plain·July 9, 2025Scientists have proposed Earth is in the middle of a huge void in space, potentially resolving the cosmic mystery known as the Hubble Tension.
Scientists Reveal Clever Trick to Detect Explosive Munitions on the Seafloor Using Sound Waves Christopher Plain·May 19, 2025A new approach for detecting unexploded munitions on the seafloor using sound waves could save lives and prevent serious injury.
This Star Trek-Style ‘Tractor Beam’ Allows Objects to be Moved Using Metamaterials and Sound Waves Christopher Plain·December 13, 2022Researchers studying acoustic levitation have devised a method using metamaterials that lets them manipulate objects of any shape and size without actually touching them.
Could Sound Waves be a Viable Cancer Treatment Option? Kenna Hughes-Castleberry·May 4, 2022New research suggests that sound waves may provide promising results as a novel form of treatment for cancer.