A round of applause, please: Scientists have finally figured out what’s behind the sound of clapping. The research pinpoints a mechanism called a Helmholtz resonator — the same acoustic concept that ...

Hand clapping is ubiquitous behavior for humans across time and cultures, serving many different purposes: to signify approval with applause, for instance, or to keep time to music. Acousticians often ...

At 10 a.m. Eastern time on August 16, 2026, several billion people are being asked to do something almost comically small: raise their hands and clap, just once, for exactly one second. The organizers ...