The Potential of Sperm Whales' Phonetic Alphabet

Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher the lyrics.

But sperm whales don’t produce the eerie melodies sung by humpback whales, sounds that became a sensation in the 1960s. Instead, sperm whales rattle off clicks that sound like a cross between Morse code and a creaking door.

Carl Zimmer, a science reporter, explains the possibility why it’s possible that the whales are communicating in a complex language.

Guest: Carl Zimmer, a science reporter for The New York Times who also writes the Origins column.

Background reading

• Scientists find an “alphabet” in whale songs.
• These whales still use their vocal cords. But how?

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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