HOW SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS SUCCEED - Black Lives Matter takes up the baton of the Civil Rights Movement - Literary Theory and Criticism
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MARCH 2021 SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM
Coping with
Pandemic Stress
Alien
Moons
100 Years of
Bird Banding
HOW
SOCIAL
JUSTICE
MOVEMENTS
SUCCEED
Black Lives Matter
takes up the baton of
the Civil Rights Movement
© 2021 Scientific American
March 2021
VO LU M E 3 2 4 , N U M B E R 3
00
58
S O C I O LO G Y C O N S E R VAT I O N
24 The Power of Social 52 100 Years of Bird Banding
Justice Movements A rich archive of data illuminates
Black Lives Matter takes the baton the secret lives of birds.
from the Civil Rights Movement. By Kate Wong, Jan Willem Tulp
By Aldon Morris and Liz Wahid
A S T R O N O MY P L A N E TA RY S C I E N C E
38 Alien Moons 58 The Curious Science
The race is on to discover the first of Chondrules
moon orbiting a planet beyond With material from the asteroid
our solar system. By Rebecca Boyle Ryugu, scientists may finally dis-
P S YC H O LO G Y cover the origin of these enigmat-
46 Coping with ic objects—and what they tell us ON THE C OVE R
Pandemic Stress about the birth of the solar system. A Black Lives Matter protest last August
By Jonathan O’Callaghan at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
The yearlong COVID-19 crisis honored the 57th anniversary of the historic
ALFRED PASIEKA S cience Source
has taken a terrible mental A R C H A E O LO G Y March on Washington during the Civil Rights
health toll. Coping methods 66 The Origin of Home Movement. Successful movements require
organization, strategy, and material and cultural
based in disaster and trauma A 9,000-year-old city reveals life as
resources that largely emanate from within
psychology can help. it was when people first started put- the community experiencing injustice.
By Melinda Wenner Moyer ting down roots. By Annalee Newitz Photograph by Mel D. Cole.
March 2021, ScientificAmerican.com 1
© 2021 Scientific American
4 From the Editor
6 Letters
10 Science Agenda
Joe Biden must take immediate action to limit
the existential danger posed by nuclear weapons.
By the Editors
11 Forum
The U.S. diplomatic corps would benefit from
having more scientists in its ranks.
By Nick Pyenson and Alex Dehgan
11
12 Advances
Eight-limbed option for the next model animal.
A candidate to return to the moon. Far-traveling photons
for communication. Prehistoric algae with an edge.
22 Meter
A poetic celebration of changing states of matter.
By Anna Leahy
23 The Science of Health
Trusted messengers, not simply science facts, will
overcome COVID vaccine hesitancy. B y Claudia Wallis
72 Recommended
12
The military’s role in oceanography. Making physics
personal. How thermodynamics shaped modern
technology. Deadly pharmaceutical negligence.
By Andrea Gawrylewski
73 Observatory
When expert assessments go wrong, it may be because
the wrong experts were consulted. By Naomi Oreskes
74 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
By Dan Schlenoff
76 Graphic Science
Daylight changes unequally all year long. B
y Mark
72 Fischetti, Jen Christiansen and Mapping Specialists
Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), Volume 324, Number 3, March 2021 published monthly by Scientific American, a division of Springer Nature America, Inc., 1 New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, N.Y. 10004-1562.
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2 Scientific American, March 2021
© 2021 Scientific American
FROM
THE EDITOR Laura Helmuth is editor in chief of Scientific American.
Follow her on Twitter @laurahelmuth
Power of Protest detect subtle signals of a moon’s influence on its host planet. Our
own moon stabilizes our climate and influenced how life evolved—
and exomoons could show us whether such a partnership is com-
What we’re learning about how solar mon throughout the galaxy.
systems and civilizations developed Last December the Hayabusa2 spacecraft completed its com-
plex and ambitious mission to bring samples of an asteroid back
In our powerful cover story this month, sociologist Aldon to Earth. The pieces of the asteroid Ryugu could answer stubborn
Morris explains how social justice movements succeed. When the questions about the origins of our solar system, including how
Civil Rights Movement began, some social scientists were dismis- chondrules were made. These seedlike “droplets of fiery rain”
sive of activists and described protests as unthinking mobs. Mor- are found in most meteorites, and astronomers have been specu-
ris and his colleagues conducted immersive interviews with lead- lating for centuries about how they were created: by lightning,
ers of the Civil Rights Movement and similar struggles against or shock waves, or planet formation. On page 58, science writer
injustice around the world and found that meticulous planning, Jonathan O’Callaghan shares the theories and the excitement
cultural resources, discipline and creativity powered the move- about understanding these mysterious tiny drops.
ments, along with emotions ranging from righteous indignation Many of us at S cientific American a re birders, some for decades
to empathy and love. The Black Lives Matter movement has tak- and some who have taken up the hobby during the pandemic. The
en the baton from the Civil Rights era, and as Morris points out, more you learn about birds, the more fascinating they are, and
“these struggles necessarily (and excitingly) continue to evolve fast- much of what we know about their migrations, life spans, and
er than social scientists can comprehend them.” Turn to page 24. breeding and wintering ranges comes from a century of bird band-
One of the first great cities of the world was established about ing. Senior editor and newly converted birder Kate Wong, with
7000 b.c.e. and lasted for 2,000 years. Çatalhöyük wasn’t orga- graphic artist Jan Willem Tulp and illustrator Liz Wahid, high-
nized around marketplaces or monuments; people who lived lights the discoveries that have come from this simple methodol-
there were homebodies who conducted work and rituals within ogy (page 52). The research is ongoing—if you ever see a bird (alive
their houses, which they entered through the ceiling. Beginning or dead) with bands on its legs or wings, please report the band’s
on page 66, author Annalee Newitz (who also writes fantastic code to the U.S. Geological Survey.
science-fiction novels) shares what archaeologists have learned We hope you’re faring as well as possible through the COVID
about the metropolis, including what people there ate and how pandemic and are able to get access to a vaccine soon if you haven’t
they warmed their beds. already. As the catastrophe enters its second year, science writer
Astronomers are getting close to identifying the first exo- Melinda Wenner Moyer, on page 46, shares some evidence-based
moons—moons orbiting exoplanets in distant solar systems. They advice for coping through long-term disasters. We’re really looking
have a few candidates already, and science writer Rebecca Boyle forward to publishing future stories about how the world recovers
explains, on page 38, how they are honing their instruments to from all the challenges to physical, economic and mental health.
BOARD OF ADVISERS
Robin E. Bell Jonathan Foley John Maeda
Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Executive Director, Project Drawdown Global Head, Computational Design + Inclusion, Automattic, Inc.
Columbia University Jennifer A. Francis Satyajit Mayor
Emery N. Brown Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center Senior Professor, National Center for Biological Sciences,
Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Carlos Gershenson
and of Computational Neuroscience, M.I.T., John P. Moore
Research Professor, National Autonomous University of Mexico
and Warren M. Zapol Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School Professor of Microbiology and Immunology,
Alison Gopnik Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Vinton G. Cerf
Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor Priyamvada Natarajan
Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Yale University
Emmanuelle Charpentier
Lene Vestergaard Hau Donna J. Nelson
Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology,
Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics, Professor of Chemistry, University of Oklahoma
and Founding and Acting Director, Max Planck Unit for the
Harvard University Lisa Randall
Science of Pathogens
Hopi E. Hoekstra Professor of Physics, Harvard University
Rita Colwell
Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, Harvard University Martin Rees
Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland College Park Astronomer Royal and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics,
and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
Founder and CEO, Ocean Collectiv
Kate Crawford Daniela Rus
Director of Research and Co-founder, AI Now Institute, Christof Koch Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering
and Distinguished Research Professor, New York University, Chief Scientist, MindScope Program, Allen Institute for Brain Science and Computer Science and Director, CSAIL, M.I.T.
and Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research New York City Meg Lowman Meg Urry
Nita A. Farahany Director and Founder, TREE Foundation, Rachel Carson Fellow, Israel Munson Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Yale University
Professor of Law and Philosophy, Director, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, and Research Professor, Amie Wilkinson
Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke University University of Science Malaysia Professor of Mathematics, University of Chicago
4 Scientific American, March 2021 Illustration by Nick Higgins
© 2021 Scientific American
LETTERS
editors@sciam.com
“It’s demoralizing it was marginal communities—those who
lived and worked in hazardous environ-
that a century after ments and lacked medical access—who
the 1918 pandemic, were struck down. Who was going to me-
morialize young poor immigrants? Let us
I have to ask: What hope today’s victims will not be so invisible
have we learned?” and easily forgotten.
Patricia J. Fanning Professor emeritus
shannon leigh o’neil v ia e-mail
of sociology, Bridgewater State University
My dad would have been about 16 years old
she said that her father had hearing loss for when the 1918 influenza both took his own
the rest of his life because of the effects of father’s life and sickened him. I was a child
that flu, as did other members of the fam- when he told me that, as the disease faded,
ily who had it but survived. This all took “all [his] hair fell out.” In 1920 my father—
place in western Norway, where my grand- with, by then, an abundant resupply of
mother is originally from. hair—entered the U.S. Naval Academy. No
Tabitha Grace Mallory doubt at least some of his classmates were
November 2020 Henry M. Jackson School of International also influenza survivors. I’m inclined to be-
Studies, University of Washington lieve that in the process of bonding with one
another, they would have shared their “col-
FORGOTTEN TRAGEDY My grandfather died in the second wave of lective memories” of experiencing “the flu.”
I read “The Pandemic We Forgot,” Scott the pandemic on September 24, 1918. He At age 75, I’m at the tail end of those
Hershberger’s article on the 1918 influenza was 26 and otherwise very healthy. My who were spared by vaccination from the
pandemic, and noted your call for stories grandmother was deeply affected by his terrible scourges of smallpox, tetanus and
at the end of the online version about an- death, and she always seemed to believe diphtheria. But we had to risk the compli-
cestors who experienced it. that she could have done more to save him. cations of illnesses now rarely seen in the
Among the 675,000 people in the U.S. This made her deeply anxious about the developed world: measles, rubella, chick-
who lost their lives 102 years ago were near- health of everyone in the family and espe- en pox, mumps, polio. Such experiences
ly all of my great-grandmother’s immediate cially me, as I was given his name. I always have certainly generated moments of col-
family. Both of her parents and a brother hid any cold that I had from her. In lots of lective memory.
died. Her first husband and their one-year- ways, my grandfather’s death reverberated Elizabeth R. Hatcher Topeka, Kan.
old daughter died the same day in October through the generations. His name was
1918 and were buried together in the same Samuel Rubinson, born August 15, 1892. E DITORS’ NOTE: Read unabridged versions
coffin. At the age of only 22, she was preg- Samuel Guttenplan of these letters and several others about
nant with her second child, a son who Professor emeritus of philosophy, people whose ancestors were affected by the
would never know his father. She also had Birkbeck, University of London 1918 flu pandemic at www.scientificamerican.
to raise her younger siblings who survived. com/1918-pandemic-letters
This happened in Oklahoma, a state that Regarding the lack of collective memory, I
is currently dealing with spikes of COVID-19 had the same question when I heard of the SPACE WAR TRASH
and very sporadic mask compliance—with pandemic and discovered my grandmoth- In “Orbital Aggression,” Ann Finkbeiner dis-
no statewide mandate in place. It’s demor- er had died during it. It was the only fami- cusses options for avoiding conflicts in
alizing that a century after the 1918 pan- ly story ever told about her. Gone at 38, space. But she does not address the ques-
demic, I have to ask: What have we learned? leaving five small children. My father was tion of whether any such space war would
Shannon Leigh O’Neil via e-mail nine years old. My 2010 book I nfluenza and be inherently self-defeating. Even if a war in
Inequality: One Town’s Tragic Response to Earth orbit was entirely one-sided, with the
The collective “forgetting” of the 1918 pan- the Great Epidemic of 1918 covers the epi- “enemy” not retaliating, the creation of large
demic Hershberger describes rang true for demic in one small town: Norwood, Mass. amounts of new orbiting debris from delib-
me and my family. My 91-year-old grand- It has dozens of personal stories from sur- erate satellite destruction could become
mother told me that her father (my great- vivors, families and descendants. self-propagating. An attacker could find ac-
grandfather, Georg Monsen) survived the I believe that this lack of collective cess to orbital space denied to all countries,
pandemic but that his older brother, the memory is linked in large part to the pop- including itself, because of an ever escalat-
older brother’s wife and their two kids all ulation of victims: the majority were young, ing cascade of debris-satellite collisions—
died of it. I’ve been alive for four decades foreign-born and poor. Like today, those making any space war a mutual-assured de-
and am close to my grandmother, but I nev- who could afford to stay home and avoid struction of the orbital environment.
er heard any of this history until now. Plus, infection were the privileged. Then, as now, Mark Protsik S an Jose, Calif.
6 Scientific American, March 2021
© 2021 Scientific American
LETTERS
editors@sciam.com
ESTABLISHED 1845
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Laura Helmuth
MANAGING EDITOR Curtis Brainard COPY DIRECTOR Maria-Christina Keller CREATIVE DIRECTOR Michael Mrak
MASK MISTAKE?
EDITORIAL
In “Scientists: Use Common Sense” [Obser- CHIEF FEATURES EDITOR Seth Fletcher CHIEF NEWS EDITOR Dean Visser CHIEF OPINION EDITOR Michael D. Lemonick
vatory], Naomi Oreskes criticizes the World FEATURES
SENIOR EDITOR, SUSTAINABILITY Mark Fischetti SENIOR EDITOR, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY Madhusree Mukerjee
Health Organization for initially advising SENIOR EDITOR, MEDICINE / SCIENCE POLICY Josh Fischman SENIOR EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY / MIND Jen Schwartz
SENIOR EDITOR, SPACE / PHYSICS Clara Moskowitz SENIOR EDITOR, EVOLUTION / ECOLOGY Kate Wong
people not to wear masks in response to
NEWS
COVID-19 in April. She gives two reasons SENIOR EDITOR, MIND / BRAIN Gary Stix ASSOCIATE EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY Sophie Bushwick
SENIOR EDITOR, SPACE / PHYSICS Lee Billings ASSOCIATE EDITOR, SUSTAINABILITY Andrea Thompson
the WHO did so: (1) A medical mask short- SENIOR EDITOR, HEALTH AND MEDICINE Tanya Lewis ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Sarah Lewin Frasier
age would result for critical care workers. MULTIMEDIA
SENIOR EDITOR, MULTIMEDIA Jeffery DelViscio
(2) Masks would give people a false sense SENIOR EDITOR, AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Sunya Bhutta SENIOR EDITOR, COLLECTIONS Andrea Gawrylewski
of security. I concur with Oreskes in reject- ART
ART DIRECTOR Jason Mischka SENIOR GRAPHICS EDITOR Jen Christiansen
ing 2. But 1 was a powerful argument at the PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Monica Bradley ART DIRECTOR, ONLINE Ryan Reid
time. If an N95 mask manufacturer could ASSOCIATE GRAPHICS EDITOR Amanda Montañez ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Liz Tormes
get a higher price from pharmacies or other COPY AND PRODUC TION
SENIOR COPY EDITORS Angelique Rondeau, Aaron Shattuck
customers than it could from hospitals, what MANAGING PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Hunt PREPRESS AND QUALITY MANAGER Silvia De Santis
does she think would have happened? CONTRIBUTOR S
EDITORS EMERITI Mariette DiChristina, John Rennie
Fortunately, the problem was solved—
Gareth Cook, Katherine Harmon Courage, Lydia Denworth,
EDITORIAL
at least here in Los Angeles County, where Ferris Jabr, Anna Kuchment, Robin Lloyd, Steve Mirsky,
Melinda Wenner Moyer, George Musser, Ricki L. Rusting,
our local officials wisely recognized that Dan Schlenoff, Dava Sobel, Claudia Wallis
wearing any mask, even a simple cloth one, ART Edward Bell, Zoë Christie, Lawrence R. Gendron, Nick Higgins, Katie Peek, Beatrix Mahd Soltani
would help and organized local garment EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Ericka Skirpan EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR Maya Harty
manufacturers to turn them out. Yet at
present, with the start of the third wave SCIENTIFIC A MERIC AN CUS TOM MEDIA
MANAGING EDITOR Cliff Ransom CREATIVE DIRECTOR Wojtek Urbanek
and companies openly selling N95 masks MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Kris Fatsy MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Ben Gershman
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Dharmesh Patel ACCOUNT MANAGER Samantha Lubey
to the public, we might be back in trouble
again. I hope this doesn’t happen. But I also ACTING PRESIDENT
note that a responsible U.S. federal govern- Stephen Pincock
ment could have prevented it. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Michael Florek VICE PRESIDENT, COMMERCIAL Andrew Douglas
PUBLISHER AND VICE PRESIDENT Jeremy A. Abbate
D. S. Burnett
CLIENT MARKE TING SOLUTIONS
California Institute of Technology MARKETING DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT Jessica Cole
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HEAD, PUBLISHING STRATEGY Suzanne Fromm
Your recent editions have had a number of
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SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER Christopher Monello
to introduce the notion that data precede PRODUCT MANAGERS Ian Kelly, John Murren
information, whether it constitutes misin- SENIOR WEB PRODUCER Jessica Ramirez
SENIOR COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Christine Kaelin
formation or not. As any scientist can attest, MARKETING & CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSISTANT Justin Camera
there are good and bad data. Good data are ANCILL ARY PRODUC TS
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Diane McGarvey
obtained by careful control of conditions CUSTOM PUBLISHING EDITOR Lisa Pallatroni
and demonstration of reproducibility. Bad C O R P O R AT E
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PRESS MANAGER Sarah Hausman
tion bias or intentional falsification. Infor-
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or a distorted analysis of good data.
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© 2021 Scientific American
SCIENCE AGENDA
O PINI O N A N D A N A LYS I S FR OM
S C IENTIFIC A MERIC AN ’ S B OA R D O F E D ITO R S
Biden’s Nuclear
Challenge
He must take immediate action
to reduce the risk of atomic war
By the Editors
When Joe Biden w as sworn in as the 46th U.S. president on Jan-
uary 20, he inherited major crises, including a raging pandemic,
a planet gripped by escalating climate change, a ravaged econo-
my and a nation riven by hyperpartisanship, worsened by what
amounted to an attempted coup inspired by his predecessor. But
it is an older existential threat, the fearsome power of nuclear
weapons, that should still be the most terrifying. Immediately
after his inauguration, the new president gained official control
over the “nuclear football,” a 20-kilogram satchel containing
launch codes and strike options for unleashing the nation’s vast maintaining the national nuclear stockpile. Such efforts could
atomic arsenal on his sole authority, at a moment’s notice. But serve as a model for dialogues with other nuclear-armed nations,
the intricate international web of agreements and strategies used especially China, which could in turn yield a wider range of solu-
to restrain this world-destroying power—held by other countries tions to the vexing problem of how to denuclearize North Korea.
as well as the U.S.—has become dangerously frayed. And Biden should make good on his promise to reenter the
Some 9,500 warheads are currently in military service among Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nucle-
the world’s nine nuclear-armed states, with over 90 percent held ar deal, an agreement from which then President Donald Trump
by the U.S. and Russia. Just a minuscule fraction of that alarming withdrew the U.S. in 2018. The 2015 deal sought to extend Iran’s
total could bring about millions of deaths, unfathomable suffer- “breakout time”—its capability to produce bombs from enriched
ing and a new Dark Age from which recovery would not be guar- fissile material—from a few months to at least a year. But after
anteed. And unlike the most significant impacts of climate change, Trump reinstated severe sanctions, Iran resumed vigorous ura-
which manifest over decades and centuries, the devastation from nium enrichment. The assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scien-
nuclear warfare could unfold in mere minutes and hours. tist last November and substantial congressional opposition to
This modern-day sword of Damocles has hung over humani- the deal all set high barriers to the U.S. rejoining. Nevertheless,
ty’s head for generations, held at bay by diplomacy, carefully the consensus view among arms-control experts is that the agree-
orchestrated international agreements and the chilling zero-sum ment is the least-worst option for ensuring a nuclear-free Iran.
game of mutually assured destruction. Yet today, after years of Yet if such efforts are met with intransigence from Congress—
neglect if not outright opposition by those who believe nuclear a not unlikely event—Biden should take unilateral actions de
warfare can be “winnable,” those intertwined threads of safety are signed to reduce risks and bolster international cooperation.
worn, loose and about to come apart. Treaties to limit the prolifer- Drawing down the nation’s number of deployed strategic weap-
ation and use of nuclear weapons have expired, more nations than ons; reevaluating its byzantine “command and control” systems;
ever before are poised to develop new arsenals, and potential and declaring a “no first use” policy for nuclear weapons—some-
destabilizing factors such as antiballistic missile defense systems thing U.S. presidents have so far been unwilling to do—all fall
and novel hypersonic weapons platforms continue to multiply. within his purview. Most consequentially, however, Biden should
The Biden administration can take several steps to tiptoe back order sweeping changes to what is now the president’s sole author-
from the brink of disaster while maintaining national security. ity for launching nuclear weapons. He should insist that it be made
The first should be Biden’s fulfillment of his campaign promise in consultation with executive branch officials and congressional
to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), leaders, a step that can be taken without weakening deterrent
the sole remaining arms-control agreement with Russia, set to ability, arms-control experts say. If this move were eventually for-
expire on February 5. It is a vital component in curtailing each malized through federal legislation, it could be the most mean-
nation’s existing nuclear forces and the possibility of a new nucle- ingful act of Biden’s presidency toward ensuring a safer world.
ar-arms race. More broadly, extending the treaty should be part of
a much needed attempt to improve the perilous state of U.S.-Russia
J O I N T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N O N L I N E
relations—exemplified by Russia’s recent, massive cyberattack on Visit Scientific American on Facebook and Twitter
U.S. institutions, including the federal agencies charged with or send a letter to the editor: editors@sciam.com
10 Scientific American, March 2021 Illustration by Martin Gee
© 2021 Scientific AmericanNick Pyenson Alex Dehgan FORUM
is a research geologist is co-founder and C OMM E N TA RY O N S C IE N C E IN
and curator of fossil CEO of Conserva- T H E N E W S FR OM T H E E X PE R T S
marine mammals at the tion X Labs.
Smithsonian Institution.
The U.S. Needs
Scientists in the
Diplomatic Corps
They have expertise, problem-solving
skills and international credibility
By Nick Pyenson and Alex Dehgan
Benjamin Franklin might have been on the short list for a Nobel
Prize if there had been such a thing during his lifetime. The
amazing breadth of his contributions stands out even today: he
worked in areas ranging from the science of electricity to the
wave theory of light to demography, meteorology, physical ocean-
ography and even behavioral science. Franklin was also the first
U.S. ambassador to France. His reputation as a scientist galva-
nized his popularity in Europe and helped him secure France’s
support for the fledgling nation.
Franklin’s example is a reminder that we need scientists for
today’s challenges in diplomacy and development and not just Department and the U.S. Agency for International Develop-
because of their expertise—we need them because their skills, ment (usaid) to address pressing problems in diplomacy and
networks and ways of thinking about problems represent the development. Scaling up this type of program would have a sig-
best of what America can offer the world. nificant impact in these areas. At usaid, the Partnerships for
Over the past 75 years our academic institutions, the major- Enhanced Engagement in Research have built hundreds of col-
ity of our most innovative companies and the public at large laborative programs to date, in conjunction with American sci-
have benefited from sustained and directed investment in entific agencies, aimed at building long-term engagements and
research by the federal government. The vision of what the gov- connections across the wider scientific community.
ernment could undertake when the risks were too great for any Science-focused diplomacy works because science is a dis-
other entity was informed by a post–World War II mindset about tributed, global enterprise with products that can be replicated
the role of science in American life. Since the 1940s taxpayer dol- and verified and that can inspire. It can create the scaffolding
lars have supported a broad portfolio of basic research that has that allows our official relationships to thrive by providing trust,
undergirded long-term American prosperity and security, transparency and engagement that would otherwise be hard
including faster and more efficient airplanes, the Internet, to achieve. Many foreign scientists trained in the U.S. climb to
genomics, weather satellites, vaccines, and so much more. leadership roles in their home countries. Engaging through sci-
As a result, the U.S. has an untapped reservoir of talent to ence can form bridges over divisions in geography, religion, cul-
bring to its international relations. America’s scientists have ture and language, and it can help other countries meet real
high-level technical expertise and creative problem-solving abil- needs—especially when emerging threats fail to respect politi-
ities. The best of them have a facility for communicating com- cal boundaries. Finally, as global connections make national
plex ideas and social networks that are important for public economies increasingly intertwined, science diplomacy can cre-
diplomacy, and the U.S. will need diplomats with an abundance ate avenues that sustain competitiveness and promote econom-
of these assets. Moreover, the credibility of the upcoming ic growth in the U.S.
generation of American scientists will be invaluable on the Given the protracted challenges on the horizon for U.S. for-
world stage: even though international opinion of the country eign policy, science provides a path through the planetwide cri-
has reached record lows, U.S. science and ingenuity are still ses we are facing, and it also gives our country a way to put its
deeply respected. best foot forward. After all, many of the values that scientists
Even with a richness of talent, we still need more opportu- share are also historic American values.
nities to integrate scientists into the front lines of U.S. embas-
sies and missions abroad. Programs such as the fellowships
J O I N T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N O N L I N E
offered by the American Association for the Advancement of Visit Scientific American on Facebook and Twitter
Science can place postdoctoral scientists throughout the State or send a letter to the editor: editors@sciam.com
Illustration by Dawn Yang March 2021, ScientificAmerican.com 11
© 2021 Scientific AmericanADVANCES
The first octopus genome sequenced was from a
California two-spot octopus (species pictured here).
12 Scientific American, March 2021
© 2021 Scientific AmericanD I S PATC H E S FR OM T H E FR O N TIE R S O F S C IE N C E , T E C H N O LO GY A N D M E D I C IN E IN S ID E
• An AI trains to spot an invasive
lanternfly’s eggs
• Copycat cetaceans may outsmart orcas
• Car-sized boulders heaved by a tsunami
hide among island vegetation
• Trackless trams offer a smooth public
transportation option
B I O LO G Y
A Model
Octopus
Big-brained cephalopods could
help reveal the evolution and
neurobiology of intelligence,
complexity, and more
Humans are more closely related t o dino-
saurs than they are to octopuses. Our lin-
eage split from that of cephalopods—the
spineless class that includes octopuses,
squids and cuttlefish—half a billion years ago.
Octopus brains lack any of the major ana-
tomical features of vertebrate brains, and
most of the animals’ neurons are distributed
across their arms rather than in their head.
Yet octopuses are extremely intelligent,
with a larger brain for their body size than all
animals except birds and mammals. They are
capable of high-order cognitive behaviors,
including tool use and problem-solving, even
figuring out how to unscrew jar lids to access
food. Increasingly, some researchers are sug-
gesting octopuses’ combination of smarts
and sheer difference from humans could
make them an ideal model for inferring com-
mon rules governing complex brain function,
in addition to revealing novel neurological
workarounds cephalopods have evolved.
Scientists have often turned to animals,
among them D rosophila fruit flies, zebra
JOEL SARTORE
fish and C
aenorhabditis elegans nematodes,
to gain biological insight and understand-
J O I N T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N O N L I N E Visit Scientific American on Facebook and Twitter
© 2021 Scientific AmericanADVANCES
ing. But of all the widely studied “model octopus genome, for the California two- ing with mice or flies take for granted. Last
species” that are easy to raise in the labo- spot octopus. “A whole genome opens summer in C urrent Biology, A lbertin and
ratory, rodents such as mice have been up huge levels of information you didn’t her colleagues described the first cephalo-
most instrumental in understanding how have before,” says Clifton Ragsdale, a neu- pod gene knockout (inactivating a gene to
the brain works. robiologist at the University of Chicago, study what it does). Now the same team is
“The advantage of the mouse is that its who co-authored the octopus genome working on gene knock-ins that will, for
brain is remarkably similar to the human study in Nature. example, let scientists insert activity indi-
brain, whereas the advantage of the octo- As was the case with other model spe- cators into octopus cells. This process will
pus is that it’s remarkably dissimilar,” says cies, publishing the octopus genome paved let them study the animals’ neural activity
Gül Dölen, a neuroscientist at Johns the way for critical modes of investigation, in real time, says Marine Biological Labo-
Hopkins University. Comparing and con- the researchers say. These include using ratory researcher Joshua Rosenthal, who
trasting these systems with our own, she genetic engineering to probe how the co-authored the knockout study. “Once
says, “gives you that logical power of brain works, zooming in on where specific we get that next step,” he says, “I think the
reduction.” Nematodes and fruit flies are genes are expressed, and exploring evolu- community is just going to start exploding.”
also very dissimilar to humans, she notes, tion by calculating differences between Research is already accelerating. In 2018
but octopuses eclipse these fellow inverte- octopus genes and those of other species. Dölen and co-author Eric Edsinger dosed
brates in terms of complexity. Recognizing “We’re at a really exciting moment for octopuses with MDMA and found that
the unique opportunity cephalopods pro- working with these remarkable animals,” although they are typically antisocial, they
vide as vastly different yet highly sophisti- says Caroline Albertin, an evolutionary respond to a drug-induced flood of the
cated creatures, Dölen and other neurosci- developmental biologist at the Marine Bio- neurotransmitter serotonin the same way
entists are rooting for them to become the logical Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., humans do: they relax and become more
field’s newest model organism. and lead author of the genome study. sociable. Through genome analysis, the sci-
Using octopuses to gain insight into “There’s just a vast ocean of research and entists also confirmed that octopuses pos-
our own species was originally proposed questions that we need to explore.” sess the same serotonin transporters that
in the 1960s by neurophysiologist J. Z. Toward that end, researchers have MDMA binds to in vertebrates. As report-
Young. The idea moved within reach in begun developing cephalopod versions of ed in Current Biology, t his finding suggests
2015, when scientists sequenced the first the same molecular tools that those work- that sociality could involve a molecular
TECH
Lanternfly
Invasion
A new algorithm could
spot the insect’s eggs and
curtail their rapid spread
Since it was first noticed in 2014 in Berks
County, Pennsylvania, the spotted lantern-
fly—a one-inch-long plant hopper that
resembles a moth and is native to China—
has been wreaking havoc on East Coast
lumber, tree fruit and wine industries. It has
spread to many counties in Pennsylvania,
plus parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Mary-
land, Virginia, West Virginia and New York.
The invasive, plant-killing insect can lay
its eggs on almost any surface, including
vehicle exteriors. These egg masses “are
most concerning because they can go very
far, by hitchhiking,” says Maureen Tang, a
chemical and biological engineer at Drexel
University. Tang’s new project uses crowd- The spotted lanternfly is proliferating
sourced photographs of the egg masses to quickly across the U.S. East Coast.
14 Scientific American, March 2021
© 2021 Scientific AmericanIn SCIENCE
mechanism
mechanism rather
specific
rather than
specific vertebrate
Other
than being
vertebrate brain
Other labs
labs are
being rooted
brain regions.
are investigating
regions.
investigating how
rooted in in
how octopus
octopus
would
would make
unlike
make itit ideal
unlike aa number
scientists
number of
ideal for for raising
of other
raising in
other octopus
in aa lab,
lab, and
octopus species,
species,
and
We Trust
scientists have
have figured
figured out out how
how toto breed
breed it. it.
arms
arms sense
sense and
and interact
interact with
with theirtheir environ-
environ- Cephalopods
Cephalopods will will no
no doubt
doubt bring
bring more more
ment
ment withwith minimal
minimal input
input from
from the the brain.
brain. Last
Last insights
insights into
into fundamental
fundamental biology. biology. Techno-
Techno-
fall
fall researchers
researchers reported
reported in in CCell
ell tthat
hat special-
special- logical
logical breakthroughs
breakthroughs could could follow,
follow, too.too.
ized
ized receptors
receptors in in octopus
octopus suckers
suckers detectdetect Materials
Materials researchers
researchers are are interested
interested in in the
the
chemicals
chemicals on on surfaces
surfaces they
they contact,
contact, enabling
enabling animals’
animals’ skinskin for
for its
its incredible
incredible camouflage
camouflage
them
them to to taste
taste by
by touching.
touching. “This“This isis an an exam-
exam- ability,
ability, for
for example,
example, and and computer
computer scientists
scientists
ple
ple of
of how
how we we need
need to to consider
consider studying
studying lifelife may
may someday
someday draw draw on on octopuses’
octopuses’ separate
separate
in
in all
all shapes
shapes andand sizes
sizes to
to really
really understand
understand learning
learning and and memory
memory systems—one
systems—one for for
how
how molecular
molecular andand cellular
cellular adaptations
adaptations vision
vision and
and one one for
for tactile
tactile senses—for
senses—for new new
give
give rise
rise to
to unique
unique organismal
organismal features features andand approaches
approaches to to machine
machine learning.
learning.
functions,”
functions,” says says Nicholas
Nicholas Bellono,
Bellono, aa molec-
molec- Octopuses
Octopuses could could alsoalso inspire
inspire biomedical
biomedical
ular
ular and
and cellular
cellular biologist
biologist at at Harvard
Harvard Uni- Uni- engineering
engineering advances.
advances. Rosenthal
Rosenthal is is study-
study-
versity
versity and and senior
senior author
author of the Cell
of the Cell study.
study. ing
ing cephalopods’
cephalopods’ incredibly
incredibly high high rates
rates of of
Scientists
Scientists willwill soon
soon have
have even even moremore RNA
RNA editing,
editing, whichwhich couldcould someday
someday lead lead toto
Stay Safe!
resources
resources to to draw
draw on.
on. InIn 2016
2016 the the Marine
Marine new
new technologies
technologies to to erase
erase unwanted
unwanted muta- muta-
Biological
Biological Laboratory
Laboratory launched
launched aa cephalo- cephalo- tions
tions encoded
encoded in in human
human genomes.
genomes. Rags- Rags-
pod
pod breeding
breeding program
program to to culture
culture research
research dale
dale is
is investigating
investigating how how octopuses
octopuses quicklyquickly
animals.
animals. Albertin
Albertin and
and program
program manager manager regenerate
regenerate their their arms,
arms, nerve
nerve cords
cords and and all;
all;
Bret
Bret Grasse
Grasse areare now
now working
working with with Dölen
Dölen this
this might
might one one day
day contribute
contribute to to therapies
therapies
and
and other
other colleagues
colleagues to to sequence
sequence the the for
for humans
humans who who loselose limbs
limbs oror have
have brainbrain or or
genome
genome of of O ctopus chierchiae
Octopus chierchiae— —a a golf
golf ball–
ball– spinal
spinal cord
cord damage.
damage. “Biology
“Biology hashas pretty
pretty
to
to tangerine-sized
tangerine-sized CentralCentral American
American species species much
much figured
figured out out aa solution
solution to to almost
almost
that
that is is the
the leading
leading candidate
candidate for for an an octopus
octopus everything,”
everything,” Rosenthal
Rosenthal says. says. “We
“We just just have
have
model organism. O
model organism. O.. chierchiae’
chierchiae’ss small small size
size to
to find
find it.”
it.” —RRachel
— achel Nuwer
Nuwer
FREE
‘In Science I Trust’ mask
train
train aa sophisticated
sophisticated scanningscanning algorithm
algorithm check
check forfor significant
significant damage.
damage. But But Tang
Tang
for
for pinpointing
pinpointing them. them. says
says her
her team’s
team’s type
type of of discrete,
discrete, close-up
close-up with new membership.*
Adult
Adult lanternflies
lanternflies feastfeast onon more
more than than 70 70 egg-detection
egg-detection system system is is new.
new. Join at ffrf.us/science entering
plant
plant species
species andand leave
leave behind
behind so-called
so-called “We’ve
“We’ve seen seen aa lot
lot of
of ingenuity
ingenuity come come from from
honeydew
honeydew droppings,
droppings, which which attract
attract waspswasps spotted
spotted lanternfly
lanternfly [research],
[research], and and this
this isis an
an- Code MASK21
and
and other
other stinging
stinging insects
insects and and which
which breed breed other
other great
great example,”
example,” says says Heather
Heather Leach,Leach, *Offer expires March 31, 2021
aa black,
black, sooty
sooty mold
mold thatthat can
can significantly
significantly who
who studies
studies these
these insects
insects at at Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
Membership includes 10 issues/yr.
damage
damage plants.
plants. TheThe mature
mature lanternflies
lanternflies die die State
State University
University and and isis not
not involved
involved in in the
the ini-
ini-
of Freethought Today newspaper. Ask
in
in the
the cold,
cold, but
but thethe masses
masses of of between
between 30 30 tiative.
tiative. Any
Any methods
methods that that help
help toto reduce
reduce the the
for a sample issue. ffrf.us/info
and
and 50
ty,
50 eggs,
ty, release
eggs, which
release aa new
which look look like
new generation
like aa grayish
generation in
grayish put-
in the
the spring.
put- bug’s
bug’s spread,
has
spread, especially
especially in in regions
regions wherewhere itit •••
spring. has not
not yet
yet been
been established,
established, offer offer aa better
better
Once
Once fully
fully trained
trained on on thousands
thousands of of pho-
pho- chance
chance at at controlling
controlling it, it, Leach
Leach says.
says.
Join the nation’s largest
tos,
tos, the
the image-processing
image-processing algorithm algorithm will will let
let The
The team
team aims
aims to to finish
finish the the algorithm
algorithm association of freethinkers
scanning
scanning devices
devices detect
detect significant
significant infesta-
infesta- and
and start
start using
using itit to
to search
search for for eggs
eggs before
before (atheists & agnostics) working to
tions
tions in
in real
real time,
time, says
says Drexel
Drexel mechanical
mechanical the
the bugs
bugs begin
begin emerging.
emerging. Egg Egg masses
masses keep religion out of government.
engineer
engineer Antonios
Antonios Kontsos,
Kontsos, who who is is building
building are
are much
much easier
easier to to contain
contain than than jumping
jumping
the
the algorithm.
algorithm. The The system
system will will first
first bebe put
put toto nymphs
nymphs or or swarming
swarming adults,adults, notes
notes Karen
Karen
work
work in in high-risk
high-risk locations
locations such such as as rail
rail and
and Verderame,
Verderame, curatorcurator of of entomology
entomology at at the
the
shipping
shipping yards,
yards, where
where storage
storage containers
containers Academy
Academy of of Natural
Natural Sciences
Sciences of of Drexel
Drexel Uni- Uni-
often
often sit
sit around
around for for long
long periods
periods and and itit isis dif-
dif- versity.
versity. Re
Researchers
searchers will will first
first target
target top-pri-
top-pri-
ficult
ficult and
and dangerous
dangerous for for aa human
human to to check
check ority
ority spots
spots using
using aa portable
portable scanning
scanning devicedevice
underneath
underneath them them for for egg
egg masses,
masses, Tang Tang that
that can
can look
look for
for egg
egg masses
masses in in visible,
visible, infra-
infra-
says.
says. The
The lanternflies’
lanternflies’ favorite tree, A
favorite tree, ilanthus
Ailanthus red
red and
and ultraviolet
ultraviolet light,
light, Kontsos
Kontsos says. says. HeHe
altissima,
altissima, ttends
People
ends to
People already
to grow
grow near
already scan
near railroad
scan for
railroad tracks.
for signs
signs of
tracks.
of pests
pests
anticipates
anticipates someday
device
device in
someday using using aa version
in aa “precision-agriculture
“precision-agriculture frame-
version of of this
frame-
this
ffrf.org
GETTY IMAGES
IMAGES
using
using drones
drones with
with computer
computer vision;vision; these
these work”—installing
work”—installing itit on on aa drone
drone for for efficient,
efficient, FFRF is a 501(c)(3) educational charity.
GETTY
drones
drones fly fly over
over crops
crops and and treescapes
treescapes to to large-area
large-area scans.
scans. —CClaire
— laire Marie
Marie Porter
Porter
Deductible for income tax purposes.
© 2021 Scientific AmericanADVANCES
S PAC E E X P LO R AT I O N
Going Back
Astronaut Jessica Watkins
could be among the first
to return to the moon
nasa plans to go back to the moon—but
unlike the Apollo missions of a half-century
ago, the agency’s Artemis program is de
signed to send humans on longer-duration
journeys, to land at the lunar south pole, and
potentially even to build and populate a base
there. The first crewed landing could take
place as early as the mid-2020s. Last De
cember the space agency announced the 18
astronauts who are working to make Arte-
mis a reality; Jessica Watkins, who joined the
astronaut corps in 2017, is among them. As
a planetary geologist and a former member
of the science team for nasa’s Mars Curios-
ity rover, Watkins is a leading candidate for
future lunar missions and could become the
first woman and first person of color to walk
on the moon. S cientific American spoke to
Watkins about Artemis, why the moon, and
why to send humans at all. An edited tran-
script of the interview follows.
—Lee Billings not an either-or. One of the really interest- rover is just much slower. Whereas a
ing things about going to the lunar south human being—as soon as we step onto a
Why is it important to send people pole is that because of the orbital dynam- surface, we can get to work almost instan-
to the moon? What draws you ics and geometry, you end up with these taneously, making decisions about where
to it, personally? permanently shadowed regions there. to go to find answers to questions.
There are a lot of different reasons to go And in these [areas], you have access to
back—scientific, economic, you name it— craters with the potential to have pre- Every Apollo astronaut was a white
but one for me is this idea of having some- served volatiles—things like water ice— man in his 30s or 40s. Why is the diver-
thing we can all engage with that brings us that are obviously very interesting from sity of Artemis’s astronauts important?
together. After the past year we’ve had— a scientific standpoint but also can be used It’s important that the Artemis team be
as a country, as a world—to have some- as resources as we start to think about diverse, first of all, because a diverse team
thing positive that we can all support is real- building a lunar base. is a strong team. The astronaut corps (as
ly important. And there’s still a lot to be well as all of nasa) is made up of people
learned about and from the moon. Going to Why not just send robots? with diverse skill sets, strengths, back-
a different landing site than we did in the This question of “robots versus humans” grounds and experiences—and relying on
Apollo days, bringing upgraded technolo- is similar to the “moon versus Mars” con- each of those individuals’ expertise will
gies there—that will really increase our versation, in the sense that they build on enable the collective success of the Arte-
knowledge and understanding of the moon, each other and it is not a mutually exclu- mis missions. The whole truly is greater
Earth and the solar system as a whole. sive situation at all. We need both. Send- than the sum of its parts. It’s also impor-
ing robots is cheaper and easier in the tant because representation does matter.
You used to work on the Curiosity Mars sense that you don’t have a [human] in It was absolutely beneficial to me as a
rover, so you know this all too well: the loop. In human interplanetary explo- young girl to have role models to look up
Some people want to skip the moon in ration, we can send robots out before we to who looked like me and for them to go
ROBERT MARKOWITZ NASA
favor of going straight to Mars. What arrive, to help us decide on a landing site, before me and create a path for me to pur-
might convince them otherwise? to give us preliminary data to drive our sue my dreams. I hope that the Artemis
Mars was my first love, for sure. And going scientific questions that we’ll then have team can do that for the next generation
back to the moon serves as a stepping- humans go out and try to answer. [But] of explorers and inspire them to follow
stone to help us get toward Mars. So it’s based on my experience with Curiosity, a their dreams as well.
16 Scientific American, March 2021
© 2021 Scientific AmericanAN
A NIIM
MAALL BBEEH
HAV
AVIIO
ORR
surprised to
surprised to hear
hear 19
19 instances
instances of of vocaliza-
vocaliza- nized as
nized as prey,”
prey,” Erbe
Erbe says.
says. Pilot
Pilot whales
whales
Whale Mimics tions that
tions that resembled
whales’ oceanic
whales’
resembled those
oceanic rivals.
those of
rivals. “We
of orcas—the
“We found
orcas—the
found some some
scavenging or
scavenging
might go
might
or eating
go unnoticed
eating orcas’
orcas’ food
unnoticed ifif theythey use
food remnants
remnants
use orca
orcallike
ike
Australian pilot whales calls that
calls that are,
are, to
to the
the human
human ear, ear, identical
identical toto calls. “This
calls. “This is is all
all underwater,
underwater, where where light
light
the killer
the killer whale
whale calls
calls inin the
the same
same area,”
area,” travels really
travels really poorly,”
poorly,” sheshe adds.
adds. “So
“So these
these
might copy orca calls
says Christine
says Christine Erbe,
Erbe, director
director of of the
the Center
Center animals rely
animals rely onon sound
sound forfor detecting
detecting their
their
for Marine
for Marine Science
Science and and Technology
Technology at at prey and
prey and predators
predators and and for
for navigating.”
navigating.”
Southern long-finned
Southern long-finned ppilot whales are
ilot whales are Curtin University
Curtin University in in Perth
Perth andand co-author
co-author of of Long-finned pilot
Long-finned pilot whales
whales have have shown
shown an an
marine mammals
marine mammals with with aa lot
lot to
to say—and
say—and the study,
the study, published
published in Scientific Reports.
in Scientific Reports. ability to
ability to distinguish
distinguish between
between orca orca calls
calls
they may
they may useuse vocalizations
vocalizations to to outsmart
outsmart Pilot whales
Pilot whales andand orcas,
orcas, the
the twotwo largest
largest with different
with different meanings;
meanings; Curé Curé suggests
suggests
aa deadly
deadly foe.
foe. species of
species of delphinid,
delphinid, areare often
often seen
seen in in the
the that instead
that instead of of tricking
tricking orcas,
orcas, the
the callers
callers
Cetaceans such
Cetaceans such as as whales,
whales, dolphins
dolphins same environments
same environments and and are
are similar
similar sizes,
sizes, and
and could instead
could instead be be demonstrating
demonstrating aa new new
and porpoises
and porpoises communicate
communicate through through both live
both live in
in social
social groups
groups with with strong
strong cohe-
cohe- orca sound
orca sound to to other
other group
group members.
members.
sound to
sound to find
find food
food and
and mates,
mates, to to navigate
navigate sion, says
sion, says Charlotte
Charlotte Curé,
Curé, aa bioacoustics
bioacoustics Additional work
Additional work would
would confirm
confirm wheth-
wheth-
and to
and to interact
interact socially.
socially. Their
Their vocalizations
vocalizations researcher at
researcher at CEREMA
CEREMA Lab Lab inin France,
France, who who er mimicry
er mimicry is is actually
actually occurring.
occurring. Research-
Research-
vary between
vary between species
species andand within
within commu-
commu- was not
was not involved
involved in in the
the study.
study. Orcas
Orcas com- com- ers could
ers could pairpair their
their listening
listening data
data with
with direct
direct
nities. The
nities. The animals
animals cancan mimic
mimic artificial
artificial pete for
pete for food
food with
with long-finned
long-finned pilot pilot whales
whales observations of
observations of the
the animals’
animals’ interactions
interactions
noise such
noise such as as sonar,
sonar, but
but nobody
nobody had had previ-
previ- and are
and are potentially
potentially their
their predators.
predators. in the
in the wild
wild or or perhaps
perhaps eveneven play
play orca
orca
ously recorded
ously recorded them them matching
matching otherother ceta-
ceta- Evidence from
Evidence from orca
orca stomachs
stomachs shows shows sounds and
sounds and watch
watch thethe whales’
whales’ reactions.
reactions.
ceans’ sounds.
ceans’ sounds. A A new
new study,
study, however,
however, they do
they do occasionally
occasionally eat eat pilot
pilot whales.
whales. But But But ifif aa future
But future experiment
experiment used used preda-
preda-
found overlap
found overlap in in the
the cetacean
cetacean sound
sound book.
book. pilot whales
pilot whales can can mob
mob and and chase
chase orcasorcas away,
away, tory sounds,
tory sounds, itit would
would needneed to to be
be done
done very
very
Researchers listened
Researchers listened to to 2,028
2,028 vocaliza-
vocaliza- the only
the only cetaceans
cetaceans seen seen defending
defending them- them- carefully. “A
carefully. “A reaction
reaction to to aa predator
predator can can bebe
tions of
tions of long-finned
long-finned pilotpilot whales
whales off off the
the selves from
selves from the the apex
apex predator
predator in in this
this way.
way. very strong,”
very strong,” CuréCuré says.
says. “In“In some
some protect-
protect-
coast of
coast of Australia,
Australia, thethe first
first time
time sounds
sounds Mimicry could
Mimicry could serve
serve as as anan additional
additional ed areas,
ed areas, youyou areare not
not allowed
allowed to to do
do more
more
from the
from the species
species in in this
this region
region have
have been
been defense: “One
defense: “One hypothesis
hypothesis is is that
that ifif they
they than two
than two predatory
predatory playbacks
playbacks per per year.”
year.”
comprehensively described.
comprehensively described. TheyThey were
were use similar
use similar sounds,
sounds, theythey may
may not not be be recog-
recog- —D
— Doris Elín Urrutia
oris Elín Urrutia
© 2021 Scientific American
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