Real-world acoustic mysteries range from sonic booms to whale communication

Evidence

For example, why was Moodus, Connecticut, named by the Indians for sonic booms long before settlers arrived? What could cause pieces of sod weighing several tons and resembling cookies from a giant cookie cutter to wind up 75 feet from the hole they left behind, as has happened in several places in the world? How do whales communicate over thousands of miles by diving down almost a kilometer? Why is it that you can easily be heard when you shout downwind, but you can’t hear what anyone says when they shout upwind back to you? — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 32

Categorization

• QUESTION: The downwind/upwind shouting asymmetry and the enormous displaced sod (infrasound acoustic levitation?) are phenomena worth chasing down for the ‘why do we hear what we hear’ question.
• SEED: An essay on ‘the sound of the unheard’ — how acoustics explains hidden geophysical and biological phenomena (sonic booms predating planes, whale kilometer-deep calls) could be a strong piece.