Show Notes
Host David Boldeman speaks with ConnectSci science journalist Imma Perfetto about new research that has, for the first time, measured the hearing range of humpback whales in the wild.
The discussion explores why understanding whale hearing is critical, particularly because whales rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation and finding food in the dark ocean environment.
Imma explains that studying Baleen Whale hearing has long been difficult since these massive animals cannot be kept in captivity. This means scientists previously relied on indirect estimates based on anatomy and vocalisation patterns.
Discover how researchers overcame this challenge by adapting a behavioural hearing test used for human infants, broadcasting sound signals to migrating humpback whales off the Queensland coast and observing changes in their behaviour.
For the latest research and discoveries visit https://connectsci.au/news
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More from Ultramarine: the science of our oceans and waterways
This is an episode from our new podcast, It Starts With... available on Apple, Spotify and ConnectSci.
David Boldeman speaks with CSIRO marine biogeochemist Dr Elizabeth Shadwick about one of Australia’s most important long-running ocean climate observation programs, the Southern Ocean Time Series south of Tasmania.
David Boldeman is joined by science journalist Ellen Phiddian to explore a deceptively simple question: how do scientists actually know the oceans are warming?
Four and a half thousand years ago, people were already navigating the dangerous waters of the High Arctic.
We travel nearly ten kilometres beneath the surface of our own planet to explore one of the most extraordinary discoveries in modern science.