ScienceAugust 17, 2026

bioacoustics

BY-oh-uh-KOOS-tiks

Definition

The scientific study of the sounds produced by or affecting living organisms, particularly how animals use sound to navigate, communicate, or interact with their environment.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek 'bios' (life) and 'akoustikos' (of or relating to hearing), it combines these roots to describe the acoustic aspects of living things.

In the news

The article uses bioacoustics to describe the research field that records animal sounds—like bat echolocation or whale calls—which scientists are now adapting to study the hidden, subterranean world of soil.

Worm munch matters: the new acoustic ecology of the soil

Read the full article ↗

Aeon

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