noise pollution

Health & Safety

Why scientists who study noise pollution are calling for more regulation

9:00am July 01, 2024

by Joanne Silberner

Noise from roads, airports and equipment like leaf blowers has been linked with serious health impacts. Decades ago, the U.S. government passed a law limiting it, but it has no teeth.

Arts, Music & Culture

Carolina Curious: Are church bells ringing less in downtown Winston-Salem?

12:12pm January 30, 2024

by April Laissle

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Humpback whales feed together just outside Glacier Bay, Alaska.

Whales Get A Break As Pandemic Creates Quieter Oceans

1:19pm July 20, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

A drop in shipping traffic is reducing underwater noise, so scientists are listening for how whales and other marine life are responding.

Cover detail of Volume Control, by David Owen.

From Lawn Mowers To Rock Concerts, Our 'Deafening World' Is Hurting Our Ears

4:44pm November 05, 2019

by Dave Davies

Volume Control author David Owen says our ears largely evolved in a far quieter time than the one we currently live in. He warns that the ambient noises that surround us pose a threat to our hearing.

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Cars line up at the south entrance to Zion National Park in Utah, bringing with them the urban soundscape.

America's Protected Natural Areas Are Polluted, By Noise

5:43pm May 04, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

A new survey shows that the sound of cars and planes and other forms of noise pollution are rampant across the American wilderness. In many cases, man-made noise is drowning out the background sounds.

Traffic is a major source of noise pollution in Delhi (above) and other Indian cities.

India's Cities Have A Honking Big Noise Problem

3:19pm March 28, 2017

by Chhavi Sachdev

They're so noisy that the Central Pollution Control Board is urging drivers not to honk needlessly — like that Uber driver who beeps along with the song on the radio.

Humpback whales and tanker in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Massachusetts Bay.

Listening To Whale Migration Reveals A Sea Of Noise Pollution, Too

4:24pm August 19, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Christopher Clark, an engineer turned whale biologist, wired the world's oceans with hydrophones. Whales sing as they migrate, he learned. And the ship sounds clouding the ocean can deeply interfere.

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A brown bear in its natural habitat. Wildlife ecologists in Minnesota found that black bears in their study experienced an increase in heart rate when buzzed by drones.

Drones Increase Heart Rates Of Wild Bears. Too Much Stress?

12:52pm August 14, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists studying animals in their natural habitats can now just send in a drone with a camera, rather than trudging through rough terrain. But a new study finds that the drones don't go unnoticed.

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