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this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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Digital Bioacoustics
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Welcome to c/DigitalBioacoustics, a unique niche in the vast universe of online forums and digital communities. At its core, bioacoustics is the study of sound in and from living organisms, an intriguing intersection of biology and acoustics. Digital bioacoustics, an extension of this field, involves using technology to capture, analyze, and interpret these biological sounds. This community is dedicated to exploring these fascinating aspects of nature through a digital lens.
As you delve into c/DigitalBioacoustics, you'll notice it's not just another technical forum. This space transcends the usual drone of server rooms or the monotonous tap-tap of keyboards. Here, members engage in a unique fusion of natural wonders and technological prowess. Imagine a world where the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the mysterious calls of nocturnal creatures meet the precision of digital recording and analysis.
Within this domain, we, the participants, become both observers and participants in an intricate dance. Our mission is to unravel the mysteries of nature's soundtrack, decoding the language of the wild through the lens of science. This journey is not just about data and graphs; it's about connecting with the primal rhythm of life itself.
As you venture deeper, the poetic essence of our community unfolds. Nature's raw concert, from the powerful songs of mating calls to the subtle whispers of predator and prey, creates a tapestry of sounds. We juxtapose these organic melodies with the mechanical beeps and buzzes of our equipment, a reminder of the constant interplay between the natural world and our quest to understand it.
Our community embodies the spirit of curious scientists and nature enthusiasts alike, all drawn to the mystery and majesty of the natural world. In this symphonic melding of science and nature, we discover not just answers, but also new questions and a deeper appreciation for the complex beauty of our planet.
c/DigitalBioacoustics is more than a mere digital gathering place. It's a living, breathing symphony of stories, each note a discovery, each pause a moment of reflection. Here, we celebrate the intricate dance of nature and technology, the joy of discovery, and the enduring quest for understanding in a world filled with both harmony and dissonance.
For those brave enough to explore its depths, c/DigitalBioacoustics offers a journey like no other: a melding of science and art, a discovery of nature's secrets, and a celebration of the eternal dance between the wild and the wired.
Related communities:
https://lemmy.world/c/awwnverts
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https://lemmy.world/c/birding
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https://lemmy.world/c/opossums
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https://lemmy.world/c/whales
Please let me know if you know of any other related communities or any other links I should add.
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Unless I’m mistaken, no other creatures on this planet have a language?
This is actually what this community is about. And, so far as I can tell, it really depends on how you define language. Possibly the most decoded natural animal language so far is that of prairie dogs. They have managed to identify sounds that represent nouns, verbs, and adjectives. When you change the color of the shirt of an approaching person, a predictable unit of the prairie dog call changes. They have even found that they have unique sounds for abstract shapes like rectangle and circle, which is especially intriguing since these are the sorts of things that they wouldn't often come across in nature.
It is true, however, that prairie dogs are doing little more than just labeling. For the more advanced cognitive stuff we need to look at examples such as Koko the gorilla, while we were not able to decode much of a natural gorilla language, Koko did show that she was able to use English at the level of a small child. What she was capable of was way beyond simply labeling. For example, Koko used English sign language to blame a human assistant for breaking the sink in living quarters. She also was able to tell jokes and laugh about them, indicating that she understood what a sense of humor is.
We are probably still a long way from decoding the most advanced non-human communication systems on the planet. The ways that some dolphins combine uniquely identifiable syllables would put the most advanced human beatbocers to shame. While humans generally combine syllables one after the other, dolphins do this while simultaneously combining syllables on top of each other. They have demonstrated abilities as advanced as devising and coordinating a unique, non-rehearsed action between two dolphins after being asked to do so by a human. They both received the command from the human, went underwater, and then returned to perform an agreed upon action together, one which they had neither ever done before.
With advances in machine learning, we may just be very surprised by what we discover is being communicated between the other animals we share the planet with.
Whales definitely do. They even have regional accents. It probably isn't as complex as ours, but we can't even understand that.
Whales make sounds and can “say” some things, but that’s not a language any more than my dog barking at me to feed him is.
Language is more complex than simply making sounds to identify things.
Right, but I'd say there's two aspects to language:
And well, I'd say if 1) is given, that aids us. A cat purring means that cat is content. We don't need to figure that out anew every time.
But 2) does not aid us. We should have an easier time understanding and responding to simpler thoughts than arbitrarily complex thoughts.
And yet, we're going straight for arbitrary complexity, while we still have barriers with simple communication, like not even being able to purr back at cats.
There is lots of evidence of animals doing more than making sounds to identify things. Alex, the African Grey parrot had some pretty advanced concepts, such as numbers and even 0. When not in the mood to work, Alex would just make up wrong answers to be left alone, and would show irritation towards other parrots that were not understanding concepts.
Dolphins have shown the ability to creaye, communicate about, and and coordinate tricks that neither of two dolphins had previously performed.
There was an elephant that knew where an animal hospital was despite having had never been, it had been around elephants that had been however, so the assumption is that the location and activities there had been communicated.
These are just a few examples, there are many more instances where animals have been observed doing more than just labeling things with sound. This is actually why this community exists.