Marine ecologist and acoustic researcher Dr. Michelle Fournet takes us into the mysterious world of whale communication and one of the oldest cultures on Earth. We dive into the complexities of the ‘whup’ call, human impact on the environment, whale culture, and the role of curiosity in scientific discovery.
We reflect on what whales – an intelligent, non-human species that communicate through intricate song – might teach us about connection, cooperation, and how we might one day speak to a Non-Human Intelligence after First Contact.
Remember to be curious – the universe is bigger than we know!
If you’d like to share an experience you’ve had, please get in touch at hello@tobehumanshow.com.
Episode notes: www.tobehumanshow.com
Links
Follow Dr. Michelle Fournet on X here: https://x.com/mbellalady
Bearded seal call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpA431emVgo
Sound Science Collective: https://soundsciencecollective.org
Marine Bioacoustics and Behavior Lab (“Sea BABEL”): https://michellefournet.wordpress.com
Watch FATHOM on Apple TV+ with a free trial: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/fathom/umc.cmc.5dba56sgwst50iuh5h9uqpdsq
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Chapters
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:05 – Dr. Fournet’s background
00:02:22 – Why study whales?
00:06:36 – Pandemics impact on whales
00:09:08 – Awareness of being studied
00:12:40 – ‘Whup!’ – The key to unlock whale language
00:17:57 – The oldest complex culture?
00:20:00 – Super hearing processing problems
00:21:47 – How whales sing
00:23:20 – The song suits the medium
00:25:25 – How far away can you hear whale song?
00:26:55 – Ocean navigation
00:28:59 – Nature’s weirdest communicators
00:31:33 – Did the research change you?
00:35:06 – Learning from humpback whales
00:39:36 – ‘Life as we know it’
00:41:05 – On curiosity
00:43:35 – Are we alone in the universe? / Hopes for science
00:46:31 – Advice for aspiring scientists / life
00:49:27 – Listener Q / Nathan – Do whales dream?
00:51:04 – Listener Q / Sean Cahill – Altruism in nature / Spindle cells
00:56:05 – Listener Q / Benji – Emotional states of whales / Musical scales
00:58:23 – Listener Q / Lue Elizondo – Establishing baseline for non-verbal cues
01:00:02 – Whales & Catalina Island
01:02:03 – How can people follow your work?
01:03:20 – Whale Song
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