The world, the universe and us Orcas and dolphins are now hunting together; Genetic root of psychiatric conditions; Black hole stars and cosmic ecology
Dec 12, 2025
Journalist Alec Luhn shares startling observations of orcas and dolphins forming an unlikely partnership to hunt massive chinook salmon, sparking conversations about interspecies cooperation. Meanwhile, science writer Michael Le Page reveals groundbreaking research classifying 14 psychiatric conditions into five genetic clusters, promising new insights for treatment. Astrophysics journalist Alex Wilkins dives into how supernovae might be crucial for planetary formation and shares fascinating discoveries about black hole stars captured by the James Webb Telescope.
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Orcas And Dolphins Hunting Together
- Alec Luhn describes video-tagged orcas catching huge Chinook salmon that are sometimes too big for dolphins to handle alone.
- The orcas tear fish apart at the surface and dolphins then swoop in to eat the scraps and leftovers.
Multiple Explanations For Cooperation
- Researchers suggest dolphins may provide many echolocation 'spotlights' to help orcas find salmon in deep, rocky seabeds.
- Alternative interpretation is dolphins use resident fish-eating orcas as protection from mammal-eating orca pods.
Other Interspecies Foraging Examples
- Penny Sarchet and Alec Luhn cite other interspecies hunting examples like octopus punching fish and dolphins helping Peruvian fishermen.
- They also mention coyotes and badgers cooperating to dig up ground squirrels on land.