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What does intelligence sound like?
For decades, scientists studying whales and dolphins have uncovered remarkable evidence of sophisticated communication, social complexity, self-awareness, and cognition in cetaceans. Today, a new generation of research tools and analytical methods is opening an even deeper window into the sounds and possible language structures of these extraordinary marine mammals.
Join SETI Institute President and CEO Bill Diamond for a fascinating conversation with 2026 Drake Award recipient Dr. Lori Marino as they explore the cutting edge of dolphin and whale communication research, what these discoveries reveal about intelligence on Earth, and how they connect to broader questions at the heart of SETI.
Together they’ll discuss:
🔹 How scientists study whale and dolphin communication
🔹 New breakthroughs in cetacean cognition research
🔹 Whether dolphin and whale sounds may contain language-like structure
🔹 The ethical and philosophical implications of understanding non-human intelligence
🔹 What studying intelligence on Earth can teach us about detecting intelligence elsewhere in the universe
Dr. Lori Marino is a neuroscientist, expert in animal behavior and intelligence, and the 2026 recipient of the SETI Institute’s Drake Award.
📅 Live Q&A included — bring your questions to the chat!
Read the announcement: https://www.seti.org/news/seti-institute-names-lori-marino-as-2026-drake-award-recipient/
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