In a new book, The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World [W. W. Norton & Company; February 10, 2014; $26.95 hardcover], Trevor Cox examines the world's most amazing acoustic phenomena.
In a world dominated by the visual, the book inspires readers to attune their ears with the diverse sounds of everyday life. Cox takes its readers on a scientific adventure through the sounds of creaking glaciers, whispering galleries, stalactite organs, musical roads, humming dunes, seals that sound like alien angels, and a Mayan pyramid that chirps like a bird. You can hear some of these phenomena at www.sonicwonders.org.
Trevor Cox, a professor of acoustic engineering, holds the Guinness World Record for discovering the world's "longest echo." He has also appeared on the Discovery and National Geographic Channels and produced seventeen BBC radio documentaries. He lives in Manchester, England.