Sperm whales rattle off pulses of clicks while swimming together, raising the possibility that they’re communicating in a complex language.
Credit...Amanda Cotton
May 7, 2024
Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher their lyrics. Are the animals producing complex messages akin to human language? Or sharing simpler pieces of information, like dancing bees do? Or are they communicating something else we don’t yet understand?
In 2020, a team of marine biologists and computer scientists joined forces to analyze the click-clacking songs of sperm whales, the gray, block-shaped leviathans that swim in most of the world’s oceans. On Tuesday, the scientists reported that the whales use a much richer set of sounds than previously known, which they called a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet.”
People have a pho-ne-tic alphabet too, which we use to produce a practically infinite supply of words. But Shane Gero, a marine biologist at Carleton University in Ottawa and an author of the study, said it’s unclear whether sperm whales similarly turn their phonetic sounds into a language.
“The fundamental similarities that we do find are really fascinating,” Dr. Gero said. “It’s totally changed the way we have to do work going forward.”
Since 2005, Dr. Gero and his colleagues have followed a clan of 400 sperm whales around Dominica, an island nation in the eastern Caribbean, eavesdropping on the whales with u
I followed a Jaime Oliver recipe for curry, which started with grating onion, ginger and garlic. I liked the curry, but grating an onion is a miserable job. He said that technique unlocked the onion’s ‘sweetness’. How much difference do you think I’d notice if I used a food processor?
Era can be defined as a console generation, a decade, one specific year, whatever you want. I’d encourage you to give a list of your favourite games from the generation of choice and why it was the best to you. Nostalgia is a totally viable reason too....
I am worried that I drink too much at once. I don’t drink coffee daily but typically when I do drink coffee I will have 4-6 shots of espresso. I am not asking if this is healthy per se, I’m more searching for confirmation that it isn’t too uncommon lol....
Only a 2 or 3 cups a week, my wife does all the heavy coffee drinking, we have an espresso machine and a cup one.
I mostly drink carbonated water and tea and sometimes a double espresso (fresh ground beans) with some cream. Sometimes when I really enjoy the cup of coffee I will take another cup.
My local food bank can only provide 8 packages with referrals every time before you run out, and I have, but my situation hasn’t improved financially due to various set backs and I’m struggling to feed myself. I’ve heard that supermarkets throw out massive amounts, but have never been in a position where dumpster diving...
I am Dutch and endorse this above statement. Also Kelvin MacKenzie…what a piece of shit he is, scum of the earth.
All I did wrong there was tell the truth. There was a surge of Liverpool fans who had been drinking and that is what caused the disaster. The only thing different we did was put it under the headline "The Truth". I went on The World at One the next day and apologised. I only did that because Rupert Murdoch told me to. I wasn't sorry then and I'm not sorry now because we told the truth.
My preferred way to browse here is using All and blocking communities I don’t want to see. That way I get exposed to new things I wouldn’t seek out on my own (for example: British archaeology)...
I am a retired DJ/recording artist (tinnitus) and would have this in my set when I go for a RouteMasters / Stay Up Forever / Smitten / Noom records kinda set back in the days. Chris Liberator, Commander Tom et cetera, awesome time. I love all kinds of music but heavy into this as well.
April 1st was a special day for us growmies in Germany. We are now allowed to grow up to 3 plants in our homes. This is the first outdoor grow on my balcony (third floor, south facing)....
Congratulations on having weed legalized, where here in the Netherlands it is still not, although we have the first coffeshops around 50 years ago.
I remember working in Remscheid and my boss smoking hashish with my coworker and me, after work we where stoned af. He had been jailed before getting caught smuggling hash so he was pretty careful, secretly stashed and all ash and waste through the toilet. This all more than 30 years ago.
I recall it was easier to get hashish than weed, he had to drive to Dortmund for the good stuff. I quit smoking weed, but I really enjoy my neighbors can grow legal now. I hope your skunk be skankin'.
I’ve been drinking so much coconut water (with pulp) this week. I’ve been craving it like crazy and realized that it’s straight up my drink of choice when the temp is 75F and over.
Scientists Find an ‘Alphabet’ in Whale Songs (www.nytimes.com)
Non-paywall link:...
Squirrels sleeping in their nest (lemmy.world)
Frank Zappa - City Of Tiny Lites (www.youtube.com)
Adrian Belew my mind....
Steven Seagal is such a badass he can fight a guy without standing up (and totally not because he's got so damn lazy he can't be even bothered to stand up for a fight scene) (i.redd.it)
https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/1cn06tk/steven_seagal_is_such_a_badass_he_can_fight_a_guy/...
I'm curious how many collectors-item level baseball cards were wrapped around bicycle forks with clothes-pegs in childhood to make a flappity-flap motor sound in the spokes.
Alternatives to onion grating
I followed a Jaime Oliver recipe for curry, which started with grating onion, ginger and garlic. I liked the curry, but grating an onion is a miserable job. He said that technique unlocked the onion’s ‘sweetness’. How much difference do you think I’d notice if I used a food processor?
What's your favourite era for video games?
Era can be defined as a console generation, a decade, one specific year, whatever you want. I’d encourage you to give a list of your favourite games from the generation of choice and why it was the best to you. Nostalgia is a totally viable reason too....
Wally Badarou - Mambo (www.youtube.com)
Wally occasionally being the 5th member of Level 42, this track sampled by Massive Attack...Daydreaming
Plaid - Dancers (www.youtube.com)
Lets do another Plaid one...I think they awesome.
King Crimson - Elephant Talk (www.youtube.com)
What a words worth? Late response but Yeah....here we are a week later.
How much coffee do y'all typically drink in a sitting?
I am worried that I drink too much at once. I don’t drink coffee daily but typically when I do drink coffee I will have 4-6 shots of espresso. I am not asking if this is healthy per se, I’m more searching for confirmation that it isn’t too uncommon lol....
Neglect - 3D (lemmy.world)
A little something I whipped up to stress test my new workstation PC while in-between bigger projects. Made in Blender and Photoshop! :D
How do people actually dumpster dive to get free food? Are there any other cheap/free ways like this to get food?
My local food bank can only provide 8 packages with referrals every time before you run out, and I have, but my situation hasn’t improved financially due to various set backs and I’m struggling to feed myself. I’ve heard that supermarkets throw out massive amounts, but have never been in a position where dumpster diving...
TIL that a 30-year boycott of 'The Sun' newspaper in Merseyside UK resulted in a substantial rise in EU support, as shown in a 2021 research paper on public opinions & media
The study is available for free here, via. cambridge.org:...
How many communities do you have blocked?
My preferred way to browse here is using All and blocking communities I don’t want to see. That way I get exposed to new things I wouldn’t seek out on my own (for example: British archaeology)...
Lochi - London Acid City (Original Mix) (www.youtube.com)
I am a retired DJ/recording artist (tinnitus) and would have this in my set when I go for a RouteMasters / Stay Up Forever / Smitten / Noom records kinda set back in the days. Chris Liberator, Commander Tom et cetera, awesome time. I love all kinds of music but heavy into this as well.
Cat tongues are very strange (files.catbox.moe)
What animals do you dislike for unusual reasons and why?
For me:...
Helldivers 2 CEO Apologizes For PSN Account Requirement (insider-gaming.com)
Greetings from Germany. First (legal) balcony grow, Skunk #1, week 4 (sopuli.xyz)
April 1st was a special day for us growmies in Germany. We are now allowed to grow up to 3 plants in our homes. This is the first outdoor grow on my balcony (third floor, south facing)....
Among the London Searchlights, 1918 - Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (1889 - 1946) (lemmynsfw.com)
The Hexham Heads were a pair of small stone heads, which became associated with alleged paranormal phenomena, and their exact origin is a point of controversy. (en.wikipedia.org)
Does anyone else crave fruit juice when it's hot?
I’ve been drinking so much coconut water (with pulp) this week. I’ve been craving it like crazy and realized that it’s straight up my drink of choice when the temp is 75F and over.
Amon Tobin feat. Bonobo - I'll have the Waldorf Salad (www.youtube.com)