Could humans ever communicatewith whales? - podcast
Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949 , researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’
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Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay with Emma Bryce, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer was Ellie Bury1 Sept 2026, 01:57 pmUpdated 45 min ago2 min readScienceGlobal
Global — Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay with Emma Bryce, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer was Ellie Bury
Could humans ever communicate with whales? - podcast
Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949 , researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’ vocalisations distinctive. Madeleine Finlay hears from Emma Bryce, a journalist who has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song. She explains how this knowledge could help us better protect whales from human-made harms.
1. Copyright 1978 National Geographic Society and 1977 Capitol Records, Inc. Commentary by Dr Roger Payne
2. Valeria Vergara/Raincoast Conservation Foundation
3. Footage courtesy of Raincoast Conservation Foundation - Obtained for research under SARA permit XMMS 4 2026
5. Footage courtesy of Valeria Vergara and GREMM. Obtained for research under SARA permits QUE-MM02-2016 and QUE-LEP-001-2018
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1. Copyright 1978 National Geographic Society and 1977 Capitol Records, Inc. Commentary by Dr Roger Payne
This report is published with credit to The Guardian. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on The Guardian →
Source: The Guardian · Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay with Emma Bryce, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer was Ellie Bury. Published 1 Sept 2026, 01:57 pm.
