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Sound in the animal kingdom, with David George Haskell

Instant Genius

00:00

The Evolution of Insect Wings

Insects can make pure toned sounds of exactly the same frequency every time that they close their wings. The wing, an insect wing, is a little bit like a modern loud speaker. It's a papery surface attached to pulsating muscles which makes it pulse and sends sound outward. Insect wings not only allowed insects to get away from predators, but also formed the structure that turned out to be pretty good at allowing sound to evolve.

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