Latest news with #LauranceDoyle
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Humpback whales could be secretly trying to talk to humans, scientists say
Humpback whales have been documented for the first time creating large bubble rings in water during friendly interactions with humans, suggesting they could be trying to communicate with us. The whales are known to use bubbles to hunt prey and when competing to escort females. They don't just produce these rings but also manipulate them in a variety of ways, actively controlling their size and depth. A new study, published in Marine Mammal Science, hints that they could be trying to communicate with humans using the bubbles during friendly encounters. ' This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behaviour in humpback whales,' said Laurance Doyle, an author of the study from SETI Institute. Researchers have previously documented the whales living in complex societies and using their ring bubbles to assist other species harassed by predators. The bubble rings are described by researchers as spinning, air-infused vortices that look like 'giant smoke rings' about a metre in diameter. The whales often exhibit inquisitive, friendly behaviour towards boats and human swimmers. "Now, akin to a candidate signal, we show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication,' study co-author Fred Sharpe said. "We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behaviour,' said Jodi Frediani, another author of the study, In the study, researchers analysed 12 humpback whale bubble ring production incidents, totalling 39 rings made by 11 individuals. They categorised the whales into known age classes: yearling; 4-6 years old subadult; and adult. In many of these instances, during ring release, the whales were motionless or slowly idling forward 'with blowholes held upright and the body mostly in the horizontal position'. 'None of the other ten episodes were associated with feeding behaviour nor were prey organisms noted within rings,' the researchers noted. They also confirmed that none of the observed whales expressed any aggressive behaviour towards a boat or a human swimmer. In a majority of the observed incidents the ring blowing whale was alone, suggesting that the intended recipient wasn't another whale. 'Ring generation during inquisitive encounters adds to the humpback whale's diverse interspecies behaviours,' the scientists wrote. The findings are also intriguing since researchers believe interacting with the humpbacks can be a proxy for communicating with aliens. Studying these whale interactions can offer valuable insights into non-human intelligence and potentially help refine methods for detecting extraterrestrial life, scientists say. 'More research is needed to systematically study bubble ring production and ascertain under what conditions bubble rings are consistently produced,' they said.
Gizmodo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
What Whale Bubbles Can Teach Us About Alien Communication
A new study analyzes 12 events in which whales may have tried to communicate with humans. Researchers have decided that a potentially good way to prepare for future contact with extraterrestrial beings is by studying…whale bubbles. No, it's not a joke—researchers from the SETI Institute, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and several partner institutions recently published a paper describing humpback whales blowing bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans. While this might not seem like a shocking action, the behavior provides insight into non-human intelligence, with important implications for our ongoing search for alien life. 'Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers,' Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author of the study published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science, said in an institute statement. 'This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales.' While researchers had previously documented humpback whales creating bubble nets to capture prey and using bubbles to vie for female whales, the study examines the cetaceans blowing bubble rings during amicable interactions with humans. Doyle and his colleagues studied 12 bubble ring events involving 11 whales and 39 rings, behaviors that may represent playfulness or an attempt at communication. Jodi Frediani, a co-lead author of the study and marine wildlife photographer affiliated with UC Davis, explained that humpback whales frequently interact with boats and even swimmers in a curious, friendly way. 'Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators,' added Fred Sharpe, also a co-lead author of the study from UC Davis. 'Now, akin to a candidate signal [from extraterrestrial life], we show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication.' Chances are that, should we ever establish contact with extraterrestrials, their form of communication won't be what we expect. By analyzing intelligent nonhuman communication systems—such as whales blowing bubbles while engaging with boats and people—scientists can broaden their understanding of unfamiliar forms of communication and refine what we should look for in our search for life beyond Earth. The goal is to be better prepared if or when contact occurs. Simply put, whale bubbles can be an analog for an alien language. Their approach is the latest in a host of efforts to simulate extraterrestrial scenarios and hypothesize how we might ultimately come into contact with an alien species.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How humpback whales are playfully communicating with humans, according to scientists
Humpback whales may be communicating with humans in a playful way, according to researchers who have been studying the marine mammals' behavior. Researchers from the SETI Institute, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit research organization, documented humpback whales producing large bubble rings -- similar to the rings humans can produce while blowing smoke -- during friendly interactions with humans, they noted in a paper published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science. MORE: 50th anniversary of 'Jaws': How the film impacted public perception of sharks This behavior, while little studied, could represent play or communication, the scientists said. Humpback whales were already known to use bubbles to corral, and males have been observed creating bubble trails or bursts when competing for a female mate, according to the SETI Institute. But new observations that appear to show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans contributes to a broader goal of studying non-human intelligence, the scientists said. Studying non-human intelligence can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, the researchers said. The SETI whale team is aiming to develop filters that aid in parsing cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life by studying intelligent, non-terrestrial -- or aquatic -- nonhuman communication systems, according to the research organization. "Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers," Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper, said in a statement. "This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales." Researchers analyzed 12 bubble ring–production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales, they said. They determined the whales are blowing bubble rings in the direction of humans in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe humans' response and engage in some form of communication, Fred Sharpe, a co-author of the paper, said in a statement. "Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators," Sharpe, who is a legacy board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, said. MORE: Scientists discover how whales can sing under water and how shipping noise can disrupt communication Humpback whales often display "inquisitive, friendly behavior" toward boats and humans, according to Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and paper co-author. "We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behavior," Frediani said. For decades, scientists have been studying how intelligent marine mammals such as whales and dolphins communicate with each other. In 2021, researchers from the SETI Institute recorded a conversation with a humpback whale named Twain by playing whale calls through an underwater speaker. MORE: Ocean scientists concerned over uptick of whale deaths on Northeast coasts Last year, another group of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered how baleen whales are able to sing underwater. Also in 2024, SETI Institute researchers discovered that whale calls made during bubble feeding events were likely a way for whales to issue instructions to the group.
09-06-2025
- Science
How humpback whales are playfully communicating with humans, according to scientists
Humpback whales may be communicating with humans in a playful way, according to researchers who have been studying the marine mammals' behavior. Researchers from the SETI Institute, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit research organization, documented humpback whales producing large bubble rings -- similar to the rings humans can produce while blowing smoke -- during friendly interactions with humans, they noted in a paper published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science. This behavior, while little studied, could represent play or communication, the scientists said. Humpback whales were already known to use bubbles to corral, and males have been observed creating bubble trails or bursts when competing for a female mate, according to the SETI Institute. But new observations that appear to show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans contributes to a broader goal of studying non-human intelligence, the scientists said. Studying non-human intelligence can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, the researchers said. The SETI whale team is aiming to develop filters that aid in parsing cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life by studying intelligent, non-terrestrial -- or aquatic -- nonhuman communication systems, according to the research organization. "Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers," Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper, said in a statement. "This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales." Researchers analyzed 12 bubble ring–production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales, they said. They determined the whales are blowing bubble rings in the direction of humans in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe humans' response and engage in some form of communication, Fred Sharpe, a co-author of the paper, said in a statement. "Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators," Sharpe, who is a legacy board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, said. Humpback whales often display "inquisitive, friendly behavior" toward boats and humans, according to Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and paper co-author. "We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behavior," Frediani said. For decades, scientists have been studying how intelligent marine mammals such as whales and dolphins communicate with each other. In 2021, researchers from the SETI Institute recorded a conversation with a humpback whale named Twain by playing whale calls through an underwater speaker. Last year, another group of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered how baleen whales are able to sing underwater. Also in 2024, SETI Institute researchers discovered that whale calls made during bubble feeding events were likely a way for whales to issue instructions to the group.
