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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

The physics of fizz: why some bubbles are louder than others

A high-speed camera and underwater microphones help scientists to investigate a puzzle about bubbles.
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A sea lion swims upside-down just below the ocean's surface, with a trail of bubbles coming from its nose.

Bubble and squeak: small bubbles form with a louder sound than big ones. Credit: Tui De Roy/Nature Picture Library

Test out this finding during your next trip to the pool. Bubbles forming under water make a noise — and researchers have now zeroed in on the physics that determine the volume of that sound1.

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Nature 656, 10 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02334-6

References

  1. Gourmandie, V. et al. Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 073605 (2026).

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