Another day, another headline: research project axed, scientific program defunded, years of research vanish into political theater. You've probably read about those inspiring National Nature Assessment scientists who got devastating funding cuts and changed everything with a single "Call me" text, or those who ran Climate.gov pivoting, voluntarily, to a new website at Climate.us after being defunded.  

Don't give up—adapt. 

Knowledge, like sound, is stubborn.

It finds flaws in the barriers, changes speed in different environments, bends and bounces around obstacles. With the right conditions and solid understanding of how information travels, essential knowledge will reach the people who need it. 

Every conversation you have is applied physics. When two people talk, they exchange kinetic energy – vibration – that one brain encodes by voice and the other decodes by ear, back and forth, relying on the air both breathe to carry information, emotion, intention. That kinetic energy is important to community. It is not anonymous. It brought us in from the wild, gave us art and understanding. The hollow, confrontational, sensational ‘speech’ endemic online is a testament to what is lost without that shared energy. 

When we can barely hear each other across political divides, sound offers a radical idea: communication as collaborative endeavor. The same physical principles that let whales communicate across oceans apply when you're trying to get through to your neighbor. 

Pay attention to the environment, identify what's blocking the signal, and adjust the energy. Hear and be heard. Listen and be heard – our job is to make that possible.