10 Top Secret Weapons You've Never Heard Of

8. Sonic Weaponry

Already being used as crowd control devices, the sonic weapon covers a broad range of devices to achieve a multitude of potential effects. The highest of high-power sound waves is capable of causing serious damage to the eardrums, while the more sedate version would only cause discomfort like nausea or loss of equilibrium.

It€™'s been whispered for ages that an ultrahigh frequency will cause teenagers (and only teenagers) to feel extreme discomfort: apparently the ears begin to fail after the age of twenty, and the noise will only affect the young. On the other hand, the infamous €˜brown note€™ is said to force an involuntary bowel movement in the target.

These are extra-aural effects: physical manifestations of sound waves on a biological target. Other such effects include muscle contraction, hypothermia, and issues with the lungs. The poor mice that various sonic devices have been tested on over the years have had damage caused to their internal organs at around 184 decibels. Mammals engaged in deep sea diving can also suffer similar effects from high intensity, low frequency sound; it passes easily through water into their bodies, but not so easily through the large gas-filled spaces in those bodies, like the lungs and sinuses.