After the “orca uprising” captivated anti-capitalists all over the world in 2023, scientists are intrigued by one other type of marine mammal communication.
A study launched this month by the SETI Institute and the College of California at Davis dives right into a newly documented phenomenon of humpback whales blowing bubble rings whereas interacting with people. In distinction to the orcas’ aggressive conduct, researchers say the humpbacks seem like pleasant, relaxed, and even curious.
Bubbles aren’t new to those aquatic giants, which generally launch varied shapes when corraling prey and courting mates. This research follows 12 distinct incidents involving 11 whales producing 39 rings, most of which have approached boats close to Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Mo’orea, and the U.S. Atlantic coast on their very own.
The impression of this analysis reaches far past the oceans, although. Deciphering these non-verbal messages may support in potential extraterrestrial communication, as they might help to “develop filters that support in parsing cosmic alerts for indicators of extraterrestrial life,” a press release says.
“Due to present limitations on know-how, an essential assumption of the seek for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life shall be concerned about making contact and so goal human receivers,” stated Dr. Laurance Doyle, a SETI Institute scientist who co-wrote the paper. “This essential assumption is definitely supported by the unbiased evolution of curious conduct in humpback whales.” (through PetaPixel)
