This is ‘the most terrifying sound in the world’, according to scientists

The death whistle is not actually a whistle, but a skull. Yes, you read that right! The blueprint for the new whistle, created by scientists, has been derived from the original, skull-shaped artefact discovered in Mexico, alongside a skeleton.

The skull produces a terrifying sound when blown into, which is akin to a high-pitched shriek. It is said that the Aztecs used the whistle to announce when a human sacrifice was made in honour of the God of Wing, Ehecatl, according to Discovery. On the other hand, they are also believed to have been used as an intimidation technique in wars and to drown out the screams of the victims.

The Action Lab, a prominent educational YouTube channel known for its scientific experiments, recently shared a demonstration of the 3D-printed Aztec Death Whistle.

“This has been deemed the most terrifying sound in the world,” presenter James J. Orgill said. “Believe it or not, this is not a human scream. The sound that the death whistle makes innately strikes fear into your heart.”

According to Orgill, the whistle’s design is meant to resemble the curvature of a human larynx. When a wearer blows into it, the air is split in two, resulting in sound waves that exit through a second hole. Depending on characteristics such as size and mouth positioning, different whistles generate slightly varied sounds.

“For some reason, the effect of making it sound like a scream is stronger when you don’t actually watch the person blowing into the whistle,” Orgill said. “[This is] probably because your brain knows it’s a whistle,” he added.

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