Here is a (partial) overview of (some of) the recent academic literature on the subject of 'Humming'
Security
Humming-based human verification and identification
“The experimental results show that linear prediction cepstral
coefficients and perceptually linear prediction coefficients are
conducive to verification and identification, respectively.”
Medicine
Strong humming for one hour daily to terminate chronic rhinosinusitis in four days:
“The morning after the first 1-hour humming session, the subject
awoke with a clear nose and found himself breathing easily through his
nose for the first time in over 1 month.”
Internet
Query by humming: a time series database approach (2003)
“A Query by Humming system allows the user to find a song by humming part of the tune.”
Zoology
Humming in bears: a peculiar sustained mammalian vocalization (2007)
“Humming is present in all extant species of the Ursidae with the
exception of the giant panda. It has similar structural characteristics
and the same mode of sound production in all species.”
Telecommunications
Cancellation of humming GSM mobile telephone noise
“A sometimes annoying problem in the most internationally widespread
cellular telephone system, the GSM system, is an interfering signal
generated by the switching nature of TDMA cellular telephone system”
Industrial engineering
On-Line Monitoring Systems Help Silence Combustor Humming
“Real-time monitoring of flame instability can save gas turbine
owners from millions of dollars in damage due to ‘combustor humming.”
Vocalization
The Importance of Humming for Vocality Learning
“Humming is a good way to learn vocality. It can make the learners
master the singing mood and position more quickly, and help them find
the correct breathing pivot to gain the high position of vocality.”
Psychoanalysis
On humming: reflections on Marion Milner’s contribution to psychoanalysis
“Like doodling, humming exists in a space that links the inner and the outer, subjective and objective realities: ”
Entomology
Humming in Tune: Sex and Species Recognition by Mosquitoes on the Wing
“Male mosquitoes detect and locate female mosquitoes by hearing the
female’s flight tone, but until recently we had no idea that females
also respond to male flight tones.”
Astronautics
Feedback Attitude Control of Space Humming Bird
“The Space Humming Bird is an intra-vehicular free flying system (IVFFS) to be used in micro gravity environment.”
Seismology
“Since the early 20th century, seismometers have detected a
continuous, low-frequency seismic “hum” that is caused by wave-wave
interactions in the ocean.”
