Ms. Ackerman is the author of “What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds,” from which this essay is excerpted. When the first lucky observers spotted Flaco, the Eurasian ...

If you’ve seen an owl fly, you probably didn’t hear a thing. That’s because their skin and feathers dampen sound by absorbing high- and low-frequency flight noise. Inspired by this natural ...

Wind turbines are great for clean energy but they aren't perfect. One issue is how loud they can be. To address this, designers are using owls as a model for making their turbines quieter. One company ...

Don’t let owls’ cute faces fool you—they’re deadly predators. This duality is part of what makes them so mysterious to humans. And their contradictions don’t end there: Their hoots are among the most ...

A new soundproofing material (fluffy white disk, right image) that mimics the structure of owl skin and feathers reduced the rumble of a car engine more than a traditional felt fiber soundproofing ...