Click on the image to discover the sounds our researchers hear in their work!
Writing formulas
By Sebastian L. Krapp, Dr. Lecturer in Mathematical Foundations of Language at the University of Zurich (via WikiMedia Commons)
As the ISLE Institute's lecturer in the mathematical foundations of language, I support local NCCR researchers with the mathematical aspects of their projects. In this recording, you can hear the sound of formulas being written with chalk on a blackboard. While blackboards may seem somewhat anachronistic in today's digital age, they are still quite commonly used in the field of mathematics. This simple medium – just a few pieces of colourful chalk and a board – proves remarkably effective for spontaneously illustrating abstract ideas. The variety of tools we use to communicate scientific concepts highlights the unique cultures of the NCCR's different disciplines and their approaches to knowledge exchange.
Playing and learning
By Manon Bochud and colleagues, from the Brain And Learning Lab at the University of Geneva (CC BY-NC-ND)
We’re sharing audio files from CRAB (Computerized Reading-related Assessment Battery), a tool designed to assess linguistic and cognitive functions in children. The recordings feature "Crab," the main character, who guides kids through assessment tasks in an engaging and supportive way.
Available in French, Italian, and English, these files reflect the project’s multilingual scope, enabling cross-linguistic studies on reading acquisition. By exploring the link between cognitive control and reading development, CRAB aims to advance research on personalized digital assessments while making findings more accessible and engaging.
Misunderstandings and children
By Stephanie Wermelinger, lecturer in developmental psychology at the University of Zurich
This recording comes from a study that investigates how monolingual and bilingual children react to communicative misunderstandings. We ask 4- to 5-year-olds to describe objects to a Swiss German native, who misunderstands them occasionally. The audio recording illustrates children’s descriptions of the objects and reactions to the experimenter’s enquires.
Babbling of infants
By Miriam T. Löffler, PhD student at the Department of Psychology: Infancy and Childhood at the University of Zurich
In these audio recordings, you can hear the babbling of 10-month-old infants. In the Kleine Weltentdecker*innen lab, we study whether early communicative development differs between preterm children—born before the 37th week of pregnancy—and full-term children. To do this, we use the Pebbles App as a research tool, in which parents can document their child’s development.
Chimpanzee
By Vanessa Pasci, master's student at the University of Zurich, at the Budongo Conservation Field Station (BCFS)
In this recording, you can hear various vocalisations of the chimpanzees of the Waibira community in the Budongo Forest in Uganda. At the beginning, you can hear screams that sound very far away. Then, in the middle, there is a pan hoot, that is quite loud.
Screams are typically produced by lower-ranking individuals during interactions, agonistic tantrums, periods of intense social excitement or feeding, or in extreme danger. Depending on the context, screams can have different functions: for example recruiting others for help, change behaviour of others...
Pan hoots are long-distance contact calls used by chimpanzees to inform other members of their community about their location and general activities. It consists of four distinct phases: introductory, buildup, climax, and letdown. Pan hoots are mainly produced by adult males in contexts for example when meeting other chimpanzees, during feeding and resting, for traveling...
Diana Monkey
By Klaus Zuberbühler, professor in Comparative Cognition at the University of Neuchâtel
In this recording, I was slowly approaching and observing a group of Diana monkeys in Tai National Park, Ivory Coast, during late afternoon. This species is very vocal, and has a complex communication system. For example it uses different alert calls depending on the type of threat. Even more interestingly, there is evidence that other animals living in the forest may be able to differentiate between the calls. This makes Diana monkeys fascinating to study.