The deep haunting tones of the world's largest animals, baleen whales, are iconic - but how the songs are produced has long been a mystery. Whales evolved from land dwelling mammals which vocalize by passing air through a structure called the larynx - a structure which also helps keep food from entering the respiratory system. However toothed whales like dolphins do not use their larynx to make sound, instead they have evolved a specialized organ in their nose. Now a team of researchers have discovered the structure used by baleen whales - a modified version of the larynx. Whales like Humpbacks and Blue whales are able to create powerful vocalizations but their anatomy also limits the frequency of the sounds they can make and depth at which they can sing. This leaves them unable to escape anthropogenic noise pollution which occur in the same range.
Article: Evolutionary novelties underlie sound production in baleen whales
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coronapod: Why T cells have been overlooked
How can battery-powered aircraft get off the ground?
Audio long read: Is precision public health the future — or a contradiction?
Coronapod: COVID death toll is likely millions more than official counts
Why mutation is not as random as we thought
Podcast Extra: Recreating the lost sounds of spring
Webb Space Telescope makes history after tense launch
Science in 2022: what to expect this year
Audio long-read: The secret lives of cells — as never seen before
Our podcast highlights of 2021
The Nature Podcast annual holiday spectacular
Coronapod: Omicron - your questions answered
Pluto's strange ice patterns explained by new theory
Coronapod: vaccines and long COVID, how protected are you?
How 'megastudies' are changing behavioural science
Coronapod: How has COVID impacted mental health?
What’s the best diet for people and the planet?
Audio long-read: The chase for fusion energy
Coronapod: everything we know about the new COVID variant
Researcher careers under the microscope: salary satisfaction and COVID impacts
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free