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.
Credits:
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
4. Video by Amanda Cotton/Project CETI
5. Footage courtesy of Valeria Vergara and GREMM. Obtained for research under SARA permits QUE-MM02-2016 and QUE-LEP-001-2018
6. Project CETI
7. Project CETI
How decoding beluga whales’ chitchat may save them – and teach us more about ourselves
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/31/2026 - 21:57
Critically endangered New Zealand bird enjoys record breeding season triggered by mass fruiting of native tree, pushing its numbers to 325
The population of the world’s heaviest parrot, the kākāpō, has surpassed 300 birds for the first time in 75 years, after a record breeding season triggered by the mass fruiting of a native New Zealand tree.
Ninety chicks were officially added to the population of the critically endangered birds on 1 September, pushing the total to 325 – a record high since recovery efforts began.
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08/31/2026 - 18:01
Report calls for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution as soil ‘is a complex living ecosystem’
The accumulation of microplastics in soil presents an emerging threat to the UK’s food security, according to scientists, MPs and campaigners who have called for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution.
UK agricultural soils have been identified as among the most contaminated by microplastics in Europe, often as a result of repeated applications of sludge from water treatment works as fertiliser, according to a report published by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on microplastics.
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08/31/2026 - 17:02
Flash flooding in Arizona tourist destination was probably triggered by compounding climate factors, such as drought and warming in Pacific Ocean
Remote Grand Canyon lodge hit by deadly flash flood boasts fabled history
A deadly flash flood in the Grand Canyon over the weekend was probably driven by a confluence of climate factors, including drought, wildfire scarring and warming temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can supercharge storms.
At least two people have died, nearly 80 people were rescued and one remained unaccounted for after a surge of water and debris swept through the immensely popular tourist destination on Saturday, fueled by torrents of rain that hit the national park’s Bright Angel Creek area.
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08/31/2026 - 16:12
Phantom Ranch, set up by Teddy Roosevelt, has welcomed exhausted hikers to its famed cabins for over a century
Two dead and nearly 80 rescued after Grand Canyon flash flood
Phantom Ranch has been a solitary refuge visited by some of the most famous names of history. More typically, it’s been a beacon for more than a century for the half-collapsed, exhausted and overheated hikers trudging down the Grand Canyon.
The sole lodge at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, the cabins long had a near mythical reputation. Located along the Bright Angel Creek, which tumbles into the mighty Colorado River at the base of the canyon, they served as a reminder of the long history of one of America’s most spectacular but savage environments.
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08/31/2026 - 13:03
Officials say one person still unaccounted for as forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms threaten further flooding
A second death was confirmed by National Park Service officials on Monday after a flash flood sent a surge of water and debris through an area of the Grand Canyon over the weekend.
Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter during the deluge, which consumed trails and infrastructure. Nearly 80 people were rescued and one person is still unaccounted for, as more heavy rain and thunderstorms in the forecasts threaten additional debris flows, flash floods or rock falls, the NPS said in a statement.
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08/31/2026 - 10:12
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08/31/2026 - 10:00
Majority of missing Australians were near Gyirong Port minutes before impact. Rescuers say the area is now destroyed, covered in metres of silt and debris
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It has been almost a week since the catastrophic floods in Nepal and not even a vehicle can get into the area where the majority of missing Australians were last heard from.
Gyirong Port, the border area between Nepal and China, was the first to be hit. Images from Chinese rescue teams who have managed to get in by helicopter or hiking show the area has been completely flattened. The immigration building, the power lines, everything, just wiped away.
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08/31/2026 - 10:00
A battle over datacentre power sources is only part of the picture. Australia needs a much bigger electricity system to meet all future demand
Anthony Albanese has been clear that he wants a set of national standards to ensure datacentre growth accelerates Australia’s push to renewables and keeps a lid on power prices. At the centre of his desired policies was a “BYO power” requirement – a condition that all new datacentres would be powered by 100% renewable electricity.
But last week these aims collided with the Queensland and Northern Territory governments’ desire to rely on their state-owned gas and coal power stations to power datacentres.
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08/31/2026 - 06:48
Andy Burnham urged to seek consensus over response to extreme heat and forthcoming ‘super El Niño’
Andy Burnham should call a cross-party meeting to discuss the UK’s response to worsening extreme weather, including the forthcoming ‘super El Niño’, the Liberal Democrats have said.
The prime minister chaired a Cobra emergency meeting on the drought earlier this month but there has been little from the government on the wider threats posed by five successive heatwaves since May and expected global issues with food shortages and inflation.
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