this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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Scientists Have Reported a Breakthrough In Understanding Whale Language::Researchers have identified new elements of whale vocalizations that they propose are analogous to human speech, including vowels and pitch.

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[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 82 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sokath, his eyes uncovered.

[–] SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

Will and Gracie, in the tank.

Chekov, finding Alameeda

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 59 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So what I'm hearing is they can literally talk to each other in a way that we do and we still kill them constantly.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 58 points 9 months ago (3 children)

We kill humans constantly too, and we probably obliterated the rest of the hominins also. I’m just saying we have a chequered track record.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 36 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] theherk@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (3 children)

While I always love a Mitchell and Webb reference, I can say I don’t think so. I think the book Humanity by Rutger Bregman is a good reminder that we are mostly good.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Agreed. It's just that it's really easy for a small amount of people to do a lot of bad things. It's hard to maintain, harder to build, and easy to destroy.

[–] pacific@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
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[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

However take in context that it's written by a human. Of course we will say we're mostly good. If Pol Pot wrote a book about Pol Pot he'd probably say he was mostly good too.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Well believe it or not the book isn’t one page whose entire contents read “We’re good”. It is a whole well reasoned length of prose supporting that with reason.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 months ago

I understand but it's written by us lol. Not that any other creature can write a book but consider the absurdity for a moment. We are saying we're mostly good.

[–] pigup@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

I share this understanding with you and this is why I say that AI will absolutely kill us because that is what we would do. It's trained on our data afterall.

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[–] Haggunenons@lemmy.world 56 points 9 months ago

This is big news! We've got a lemmy community specifically about Digital Bioacoustics (technology and animal communication) for anyone interested.

!digitalbioacoustics@lemmy.world

Https://Lemmy.world/c/digitalbioacoustics

[–] littlebluespark@lemmy.world 32 points 9 months ago (5 children)

Oooh, look! The translation's coming through!!

Thanks... for... all... the...

...

For what? Thanks for all the what?!

[–] 69420@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago
[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] littlebluespark@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Fuck, you people are everywhere, hunh?

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[–] thejml@lemm.ee 25 points 9 months ago

“I wish I could speak whale!” - Dory

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 25 points 9 months ago (2 children)

They probably have nothing interesting to say anyway. After a year or two all the scientists will be like "I fucking know you like krill, whale. Shut the fuck up about the krill already".

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago

[Arthur Dent] learned to communicate with birds and discovered that their conversation was fantastically boring. It was all to do with wind speed, wingspans, power-to-weight ratios, and a fair bit about berries.

-- Douglas Adams, 'Life, the Universe, and Everything.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I kind of still want to know what I'm sleeping to.

[–] Cqrd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"Can I try putting it in your blowhole this time?"

[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

No Frank, idw Whale cum in my lung again.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

To a whale, whale cum is just regular cum.

[–] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Inspirational Quote Of The Day

[–] FrostyCaveman@lemm.ee 3 points 9 months ago
[–] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 22 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What they're saying is: "All shall perish" as they proceed to kill people and smash yachts.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 30 points 9 months ago

Flippity floppity y'all on my property

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

That’d be really metal

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago (4 children)
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Uh-oh. Risa's leaking again.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

How did you know Gracie's pregnant? Nobody knows that!

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[–] RalphFurley@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

They're still using money. We've got to get some.

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

"Who turned up the heat?"

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

Just in time for them to go extinct. It’ll be helpful in a few hundred years though when we need to travel back in time again.

[–] aidan@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (6 children)

If complete mutually intelligible communication of complex ideas with another species is undeniably proven, that will be a massive boon for veganism(although of course not all animals are equal), and a legal quagmire. What do you do if they are suffering in ways that we can fix due to their environment? Like humans were, and then we changed our environment. Do you give whales weapons so they can defend themselves from orcas? Do you shoot whale pochers? Do you shoot orcas attacking whales? Do you farm krill for them to eat? Do you drastically alter the ocean surface to be more comfortable for whales?

After all, most people recognize it as good to alter a person's natural state(hunting and gathering from caves) for the better, so would that not be the same for animals that are considered essentially people or near-people?

[–] iegod@lemm.ee 29 points 9 months ago

We don't even treat other humans on earth with dignity and respect and you think anything will change for whales as drastically as you propose? Maybe I'm mega jaded but I see this having little impact.

[–] Dazawassa@programming.dev 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Last time I checked you don't eat abstract linguistic concepts.

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Abstract linguistic concepts ensure you can eat.

[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Nobody said anything about complex ideas. Maybe they just said. "food here"

Speaking to animals would be cool but I doubt they'd have much to share other than basic instincts.

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[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] andxz@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

One of mine too. It's a little scary seeing the things they got right so far.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (3 children)

It wasn't a great show and I didn't binge watch it, but I'm glad I ignored all the hate about it I read eventually. I really liked the drone defection plotline and the whale episode I feel is up there with some of the best Black Mirror stuff.

There was very much morale ambiguity of the "good" characters as well, it wasn't all pro-environmentalist guys are all heroes, there was definitely eco-terrorism.

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[–] AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

My Avatar whale dream might actually become a reality

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