From baby cries to bird songs: the hidden shapes of sound (Vortrag)

We usually think of sound as something we hear. But what if sound could also be seen? 

Imagine a baby’s cry. A cry may sound simple, but it is produced by a complex interaction between the brain, lungs, vocal folds and tract. As we grow, we learn to control this vocal system. 

My route into this topic began in materials science, where I worked with acoustic signals from steels. That’s why I asked whether similar signal-analysis tools could also be used to study sounds produced by living systems. 

From human vocal sounds and infant cries, we will move to bird song. The aim is not to “translate” cries or bird songs, but to ask what kinds of information may be encoded in the structure of vocal sounds.

Dr. Navyanth Kusampudi
Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien