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David Rothenberg, a professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, plays the clarinet along with the sounds of cicadas at a nature preserve in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S., June 2, 2021. Picture taken June 2, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Fogarty/File Photo
For some in the U.S., the emergence of billions of red-eyed cicadas this spring after a 17-year slumber has been met with annoyance - particularly over their loud buzzing calls.
But for David Rothenberg, a professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, it has presented a unique opportunity for collaboration.
Credit: MPI for Empirical Aesthetics
The North American mockingbird is famous for its ability to imitate the song of other birds. But it doesn t just mimic its kindred species, it actually composes its own songs based on other birds melodies. An interdisciplinary research team has now worked out how exactly the mockingbird constructs its imitations. The scientists determined that the birds follow similar musical rules as those found in human music, from Beethoven to Kendrick Lamar.
The song of the mockingbird is so complex that to investigate it required a joint effort of experts from very different fields. Neuroscientist Tina Roeske of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, field biologist Dave Gammon of Elon University, and the music philosopher David Rothenberg of the New Jersey Institute of Technology combined their different approaches and areas of expertise to conduct this highly unusual study, the findings of which have just been published in the open-access jou
Reuters Odd News Summary
China s WeChat bans nose-picking, spanking in bid to clean up livestreams
Chinese social media platform WeChat on Thursday published a list of activities and violations it is banning in a bid to clean up its livestreaming service, including indecent nose-picking and spanking games. WeChat, owned by Tencent Holdings, is ubiquitous in China, where it is used by around 1 billion people for everything from sending instant messages to ordering pizzas. Its popular Channels feature, launched in 2020, allows users to make and follow live broadcasts.
Pelicans befriend Cuban man living by the sea Michel the noble and Panchito the affectionate are some of the names Leonardo Carrillo has given the pelicans that flock each year to his wooden hut on the southern coast of Cuba.
In years past, NCAA Division I postseason play wouldn’t impact the Draft landscape too dramatically. The conference tournaments that just wrapped up last week would typically be the last serious looks teams would get at potential draftees.
Scouts would keep an eye on Regional play, but clubs generally would be