Scientists have captured audio from the largest living thing on the planet, and it’s absolutely haunting. The audio was captured using a hydrophone, which was placed under “Pando,” a lone male quaking aspen that has gradually grown to include 6,000 metric tons of living material. And now, we can finally hear what Pando sounds like.
Pando is the largest living organism in the world, and it has 47,000 stems. All of these share the same DNA and sprout from the same shared root system. Altogether, Pando covers over 100 acres of Utah. Scientists estimate that the aspen has lived for roughly 12,000 years on Earth.
While learning what Pando sounds like began as an artistic experiment, the group Friends of Pando says that the findings could actually hold some scientific meaning, too. That’s because the sound could help us understand how wind reacts with the stems, converts them into vibrations, and travels through Pando’s massive root system.
An aerial overview of the Pando aspen grove. Image source: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando
The hope is that these vibrations could also reveal more about Pando’s inner workings without requiring us to look deeper using destructive manners. The researchers involved in capturing the audio say they heard a small, eerie rumble when it began to a thunderstorm and that the humming rumble seemed to emanate from the very roots of the aspen system.
Understanding what Pando sounds like is not only good for science, it’s also exceptionally beautiful—though in a haunting way. The hydrophone was also able to capture thumps from a branch tapping against one of the stems despite it being 90 feet above the ground. That sound wasn’t even audible through the air at that distance.
You can hear what the aspen grove sounds like by heading over to Ecosystem Sound’s website and clicking the play button further down the page. Make sure to wear headphones for the most immersive experience. Because Pando is being eaten alive, there’s no guarantee how long it will be here. So, scientists will no doubt want to take advantage of this information to learn more about the organism before it’s gone.
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