KarunaNews Story

A new generation of ocean research technology is enabling scientists to listen closer than ever to sperm whale communication, leading one study to conclude the species may use its own form of alphabet, while another reports the use of features that mirror elements of human speech. By deploying advanced bio-logging devices capable of recording high-fidelity audio alongside behavioral data, researchers are now certainly beginning to unravel how these deep-diving cetaceans communicate with one another. Project CETI (the Cetacean Translation Initiative) is a nonprofit, multi-institutional effort aiming to decode communication between sperm whales using AI and machine learning. At the heart of this effort is a newly developed bio-logger, which attaches directly to whales to capture high-fidelity audio and contextual data during their deep-sea dives. The CETI bio-logger gathers a richer array of data than previously available and can distinguish between individual whales by analyzing the origin of recorded sounds. The technology has been made open-source in the hopes of accelerating innovation in the marine sciences.