AI & Whales, Drying Rivers, and the Nobel Prize

Wednesday Brief - Oct 9, 2024

A Sperm whale mother and calf. Credit: Gabriel Barathieu - CC BY-SA 2.0

Understanding whales with AI

Whales, the largest mammals on Earth, communicate with a vast array of sounds. Many have speculated that these complex exchanges constitute language. Some scientists have noticed that Sperm whales use shortened sounds to convey ostensibly detailed messages, which suggests that they contain an “unspoken” contextual element necessary for comprehension. As human language also employs this mechanism, researchers contend that this may indicate a broader linguistic structure of which whales are aware and we are not.

The idea is that over time, language evolves toward increased efficiency, which shows a tendency to elide some structural elements without losing the broadly understood meaning. Not only is this illustrative of the longevity of the life of the language itself, but also of the advanced evolution of communication in a species generally. And of course, progressing language implies heightened intelligence.

In an effort to discover whether we might eventually translate whale sound into comprehensible language, teams of scientists are employing artificial intelligence. What one team has uncovered so far is that “sperm whale communications were indeed not random or simplistic, but rather structured in a complex, combinatorial manner,” among other things.

Do you think it is possible to use AI to decipher the communications of animals to create an understanding similar to how we comprehend our own spoken word? If we do, are we prepared for the implications once we know what they are saying?

The Nile River - note the evidence of fertility along its banks. (public domain photo)

When rivers run dry

Two critical sources of water—rivers and glaciers—have been drying up at alarming rates over the past half century. While I have discussed the loss of glaciers here and elsewhere, what about when the rivers also run dry?

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported recently that 2023 saw some of the lowest levels of rivers and reservoirs across the globe in decades. That year was the latest year in an increasingly worsening situation. WMO secretary general, Celeste Saulo stated:

Water is the canary in the coalmine of climate change. We receive distress signals in the form of increasingly extreme rainfall, floods and droughts which wreak a heavy toll on lives, ecosystems and economies. Melting ice and glaciers threaten long-term water security for many millions of people. And yet we are not taking the necessary urgent action.

In a previous article, I noted that China has taken action on and around the Tibetan Plateau to “becom[e] Asia’s upstream water controller.” In the United States, corporations have leveraged private control over water systems in the name of apparently unfair profits. This is happening across the globe. Roughly one-quarter of the world’s population—about 2 billion people—face water shortages, exacerbated by its control by a decreasing number of entities.

As climate change causes water sources to diminish, and government and private entities engage in price gouging this crucial planetary resource, will this become the new flashpoint for future wars? History is replete with battles over resources, including water, but consumption is now at its highest ever while depletion speeds at an unprecedented pace.

What does this portend for the future? What can be done about it?

Alfred Nobel, for whom the Nobel Prize is named. (public domain)

Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine

The 2024 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work related to microRNA (miRNA). miRNA essentially determines what specific cells do within our physiology. It regulates cellular activities such as “cell growth, differentiation, development, and apoptosis [programmed cell death].” Moreover, miRNA is involved in “intercellular communication.”

Understanding the role and methods of execution of miRNA has considerable implications in personalized medicine. For example, scientists discovered in 2022 that “both host and viral-encoded miRNAs are crucial for the successful infection” of COVID-19. Because miRNAs regulate gene expression and can inhibit the expression of proteins, including in viruses, understanding their application to medicine could lead to the prevention, treatment, or cure of many medical conditions.

Work in this field is obviously at its nascent stage, but researchers are quickly gaining an ever more sophisticated understanding of how gene therapy, modification, and other processes might revolutionize the future of healthcare.

Enjoy your week, you’re halfway to the weekend!

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Do you like aviation and mysteries? Check out my series on MH-370, the Boeing Triple-7 that disappeared in 2014.