Toward understanding the communication in sperm whales
Name
1-s2.0-S2589004222006642-main.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
3.1 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
24e53a90258d9c900738b584826f839e
Author(s)
Andreas, Jacob
Beguš, Gašper
Bronstein, Michael M
Diamant, Roee
Delaney, Denley
Gero, Shane
Goldwasser, Shafi
Gruber, David F
de Haas, Sarah
Malkin, Peter
Date Issued
June 2022
Journal
iScience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation
Andreas, Jacob, Beguš, Gašper, Bronstein, Michael M, Diamant, Roee, Delaney, Denley et al. 2022. "Toward understanding the communication in sperm whales." iScience, 25 (6).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Machine learning has been advancing dramatically over the past decade. Most strides are human-based applications due to the availability of large-scale datasets; however, opportunities are ripe to apply this technology to more deeply understand non-human communication. We detail a scientific roadmap for advancing the understanding of communication of whales that can be built further upon as a template to decipher other forms of animal and non-human communication. Sperm whales, with their highly developed neuroanatomical features, cognitive abilities, social structures, and discrete click-based encoding make for an excellent model for advanced tools that can be applied to other animals in the future. We outline the key elements required for the collection and processing of massive datasets, detecting basic communication units and language-like higher-level structures, and validating models through interactive playback experiments. The technological capabilities developed by such an undertaking hold potential for cross-applications in broader communities investigating non-human communication and behavioral research.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104393
