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Scientists Create World's Tiniest "Ear"

Posted by samzenpus on from the for-the-little-voices dept.

sciencehabit writes "If you've ever wondered what a virus sounds like, or what noise a bacterium makes when it moves between hosts, you may soon get your chance to find out. Scientists have created the world's tiniest ear. The 'nano-ear,' a microscopic particle of gold trapped by a laser beam, can detect sound a million times fainter than the threshold for human hearing. Researchers suggest the work could open up a whole new field of 'acoustic microscopy,' in which organisms are studied using the sound they emit."

9 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Finally by pseudofrog · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now someone can hear when I play the world's tiniest violin.

    1. Re:Finally by dfay · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And now we can finally hear what this sounds like!

  2. Big Deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I wanted to know what parasitic bacteria sound like, I could just as easily turn on C-SPAN.

  3. And the first words we hear ... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

    Turn that damn light off, you jerks!

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. Re:Noise by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Possibly by substracting a second signal from a microphone that does *not* capture the sound of a single bacterium? Something like active noise cancellation.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  5. Coupled with a real good microscope.. by drewsup · · Score: 3, Funny

    And a new internet niche is born.. BACTERIA PORN!!!

    1. Re:Coupled with a real good microscope.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      O
      oo
      O-O
      O O

      Oh yeah...

  6. I would call it microphone by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would call it a microphone, but maybe that wouldn't prick up many ears.

    1. Re:I would call it microphone by TeknoHog · · Score: 3, Funny

      Seems more like a nanophone.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.