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4h ago

Researcher Stores 176 KB of Data in European Starling’s Song

This proof-of-concept suggests that, with a ten-to-one compression ratio, birdsong could deliver data at speeds nearing 2 MB per second.

Starlings are viewed at the surroundings of Lake Uluabat, one of the richest lakes in Turkiye in terms of bird population, on April 10, 2024. Lake Uluabat is an important breeding ground for many bird species. Around the lake, migratory birds of different species that come to our country with spring migration and many resident bird species can be observed.
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A starling can be used to 'save' a PNG image

Overview

  • Benn Jordan converted a simple line drawing into an audio spectrogram and played it to a rescue European starling named “The Mouth.”
  • The starling’s accurate mimicry of the waveform allowed software to reconstruct the original image from its song.
  • Analysis showed the bird effectively stored 176 KB of uncompressed data in its memory.
  • Jordan calculates that applying a 10:1 compression ratio could push bird-based data transfer rates toward 2 MB per second.
  • Researchers are exploring the technique’s adaptability for other data types and its role alongside DNA and glass storage innovations.