Melissa Hobson

Melissa Hobson, a freelance ocean writer specializing in marine animal communication, dives into the groundbreaking DolphinGemma project. She discusses the complexities of dolphin communication, including their unique whistles and clicks. With artificial intelligence, researchers are taking strides to decode dolphin language, revealing intricate patterns that may one day allow humans to 'talk' with these intelligent creatures. Hobson also explores the philosophical debate on whether dolphins understand language or just respond to cues, raising fascinating questions about interspecies communication.

In this episode, take a dive into the underwater vocalizations of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Scientists analyzing thousands of hours of underwater recordings have uncovered a surprising array of previously unknown calls. Ocean writer Melissa Hobson explores how researchers captured the sounds of the species, why they matter for conservation and what they tell us about the social lives of one of the world’s rarest seals. Recommended Reading: “Underwater Sound Production of Free-Ranging Hawaiian Monk Seals,” by Kirby Parnell et al., in Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 12, No. 11; November 1, 2025 Melissa Hobson’s website Wiggling Whiskers Help Hungry Seals Hunt in the Dark E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices