Recent research with orcas has shown that cetaceans are capable of copying novel sounds, which is one of the core building blocks of language development in humans. Run for cover. But a corollary question is quite intriguing: will we humans someday be able to talk to the other animals who share the planet with us?
In the near future, could we all become real-life Doctor Dolittles? Some recent research with dolphins and whales provides encouraging newsβand an auspicious vision for the future. A special connection between dolphins and humans has existed for centuries. In the s, a western lowland gorilla named Koko gained fame for supposedly learning American sign language.
Some scientists, however, felt that peer-reviewed data about this claim was scant. They argued that Koko did not understand the meaning behind what she was doing and learned to complete the signs simply because her handlers rewarded her for doing so. But more recent research with dolphins is proving more promising. Marine biologist Denise Herzing, founder and research director of The Wild Dolphin Project, a nonprofit which funds the study of the natural behaviors and communication of Atlantic spotted dolphins in the wild, is being called groundbreaking.
For almost 35 years, Dr. In Greek and old sea stories, there are dozens of claims of dolphins helping drowning sailors, rescuing people from sharks and guiding the lost through treacherous waters. Once submerged, the computer detects and differentiates dolphin sounds, including the ultrasonic ones we cannot hear, and tells the diver which particular dolphin made a certain call.
Once the dolphins, who are skilled mimics, begin to simulate the artificial whistles and use them voluntarily, Herzing hopes to build a communication system with them, one that both humans and dolphins are invested in. The real breakthrough will come, she states, when the dolphins introduce their own vocalizations and whistles.
