Humans Hear Much Better Underwater Than Previously Thought – at Times Better Than Seals
upstart writes:
Humans Hear Much Better Underwater Than Previously Thought - At Times Better Than Seals:
All mammals lived on land millions of years ago, but eventually, certain species abandoned the land and adapted to life in the sea: take seals and whales, which both can now live underwater.
The remainder of the species that persisted on land has similarly adapted to a life on land. That is why it shouldn't be a surprise that a group of experts came to the conclusion that people today hear better on land than under water in a recent study. However, the research also offers unexpected information on human hearing.
[...] "It is 26 dB lower than hypothesized in previous studies, so we must conclude that humans hear significantly better under water than previously reported by science. In fact, the threshold at 500 Hz is in line with how well animals such as cormorants and seals hear underwater," says Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard.
[...] "You should not expect to be able to jump into the sea and orient yourself perfectly using only your sense of hearing," says Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard, "Sense of hearing is not just about being able to pick up a sound. It is also about determining the direction of the sound - and this is very difficult for a person underwater."
Journal Reference:
K. Sorensen, J. Christensen-Dalsgaard, M. Wahlberg,Is human underwater hearing mediated by bone conduction?,Hearing Research,Volume 420,2022,108484, (DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2022.108484)
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