WE HAVE run several stories in recent months about signifiers that relate to obsolete concepts – either in the form of words, such as blueprints which were blue once but aren’t any more (25 June), or pictures, such as a sign showing a steam locomotive to warn of the proximity of a railway carrying modern trains (14 May), or gestures such as the “air signature” used to order the bill in a restaurant (7 May). Now Daniel Smith directs us to a discussion on BBC news about obsolete sounds that are deliberately fabricated ().…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Life
Fossil fruits show flowering plants flourished in time of dinosaurs
News
Environment
Can home batteries help save the climate and save you money?
News
91É«ÇéƬ
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
News
Environment
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
Features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
2
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
3
Lost books by ancient philosophers recovered from 'unreadable' scrolls
4
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
5
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
6
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
7
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads
8
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
9
How menopause radically changes the brain – and what happens after
10
How some people's brains make an extraordinary recovery from stroke
