Could they save the world? Researchers discover the secret of the whale’s soothing song, as scientists warn that our underwater antics may soon drown them out for good.
Eureka! Mystery of how whales sing is solved
Could they save the world? Researchers discover the secret of the whale's soothing song, as scientists warn that our underwater antics may soon drown them out for good.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Whale tales</h2>
Sailors used to think that the haunting melodies of the sea came from ghosts, sirens or other mythical sea creatures. It seemed that the songs must be a kind of magic rising through the waves.
Over the years, even as we discovered the source of each captivatingVery interesting or appealing. chorus, whale song has hardly become less mystifying. We did not know how they make such curious vocalisations - or, perhaps more importantly, why.
And now scientists have worked out how. Recent research has unveiled the enigmaA coding device used by Germany in World War Two, thought to be impossible to crack. It was first decoded by Polish engineers in the 1930s. In 1941, Alan Turing developed a machine that was capable of cracking even its tightest codes. of the whale's underwater songs: humpbacks and other baleen whales have a "voice box" which has evolved to allow them to sing underwater.
These voice boxes are evolutionarily advanced, but are restricted to a narrow frequency - meaning that they are easily disrupted by man-made sonicRelated to audible sound or to the speed of sound waves. pollution.
Whilst we have only just entered our age of global connectivityThe state of being connected or linked. , whales have been communicating across borders since the beginning of time. According to scientists, humpback whales can spread their song from one population to another for thousands of miles across the ocean.1 As much as half of the globe is vocally connected by whales.
Whale language is quite complex. The whales make short sounds, called units, which are combined into phrases. The phrases are combined into themes. And several themes make up a whale song.
Nobody knows for sure why so many species of whale sing in the dark depths. Many researchers believe that their music is meant to attract female mates for the male.
Amusingly, some think that male whales add special twists to their song to stand out to female suitors amongst their peers. Sometimes, scientists say, they will copy another male's song that they perceive as more impressive than their own.
In other words, we have much in common with the whale. Their desolateVery sad, or a place that is bleak and empty. songs are similar to the melancholyA feeling of sadness. verses of our great poets and playwrights. But we are drowning out these seafaring singers, filling the oceans with the din of roaring engines and sonarA way to find objects underwater by sending out sound pulses and measuring how they return after being reflected by items. blasts.
They remind us of who we really are, connecting us with the power of music. Their songs teach us to appreciate beauty for its own sake. So why are we so desperate not to listen?
If they could talk, they might remind us to return to a life of simplicity: living in communities, singing in chorus, drifting through the cool depths, letting the sunlight hit our skin.
Could they save the world?
Yes: Whales remind us of everything that is important: peace over war, beauty over horror, connectivity over loneliness, simplicity over the endless distractions and complications of modernity. If we listened to them, we could save the world.
No: Whale song is nice to listen to, but it ultimately just has a biological function: to allow whales to mate. There is no deeper significance.
Or... Whale song could help us to return to our roots and become happier. But unfortunately, we are drowning it out with all the sonic pollution we make in the sea. Soon the whales will fall silent.
Captivating - Very interesting or appealing.
Enigma - A coding device used by Germany in World War Two, thought to be impossible to crack. It was first decoded by Polish engineers in the 1930s. In 1941, Alan Turing developed a machine that was capable of cracking even its tightest codes.
Sonic - Related to audible sound or to the speed of sound waves.
Connectivity - The state of being connected or linked.
Desolate - Very sad, or a place that is bleak and empty.
Melancholy - A feeling of sadness.
Sonar - A way to find objects underwater by sending out sound pulses and measuring how they return after being reflected by items.
Eureka! Mystery of how whales sing is solved

Glossary
Captivating - Very interesting or appealing.
Enigma - A coding device used by Germany in World War Two, thought to be impossible to crack. It was first decoded by Polish engineers in the 1930s. In 1941, Alan Turing developed a machine that was capable of cracking even its tightest codes.
Sonic - Related to audible sound or to the speed of sound waves.
Connectivity - The state of being connected or linked.
Desolate - Very sad, or a place that is bleak and empty.
Melancholy - A feeling of sadness.
Sonar - A way to find objects underwater by sending out sound pulses and measuring how they return after being reflected by items.