The Guardian3 Jun 2026Innovation
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources
Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation presented findings on 18 May at the Astrobiology Science Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, showing that land-based microphones set up with local tip-offs recorded very low-frequency rumbles (like distant thunder) and previously undocumented pizzle, howl, and hooting sounds from humpback whales, audible up to 6 miles away. Sharpe postulates the thrums may originate in blowhole structures that seal against water during dives.