Radio waves can’t be transmitted through water, but submarines can now
transmit e-mails without having to surface and reveal their location. Using an
“acoustic modem” that pumps out pressure waves, the US Navy sub USS Dolphin,
travelling at a depth of 120 metres, sent e-mail consisting of text and pictures
over a distance of 5 kilometres at 2.4 kilobits per second to a radio buoy. This
subsequently relayed the message to shore. However, the Navy’s research comes at a time
when the effect of underwater acoustic transmissions on sea life is ringing alarm bells
(see “Ear-splitting sonar”).
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
3
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
4
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
5
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
6
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
7
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
8
Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years
9
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
10
After news about Oliver Sacks's "lies", we revisit his best-loved book
