An attempt at understanding dolphin language is being made — will people listen?
This year, the Coller-Dolittle Prize — given for research into two-way inter-species communication — was awarded to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. It has used non-invasive methodologies to study the various vocalisations and body language of bottlenose dolphins for about 40 years. This data can be used to train AI models that can potentially uncover the layers of meaning in non-human language.
The dolphins in Hitchhiker's were smarter than human beings. And perhaps, for a given definition of intelligence, life can imitate art. For a long time, human beings have ignored the personhood of intelligent animals. Elephants, higher primates, dolphins and whales — there are several species that have language and heritage, that laugh and cry and grieve, have a sense of family, self and community. Perhaps AI can translate their realities in a way humans can understand them, and learn from them. But then, given that people are so adept at treating people as things, what chance does a dolphin have?
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Time of India
30-07-2025
- Time of India
A magical golden penguin was caught on camera; here's why it looks like that
During an expedition to South Georgia Island, Yves Adams, a Belgian wildlife photographer, captured the first-ever documented images of a leucistic king penguin with bright yellow plumage. This rare genetic mutation, affecting pigment distribution, resulted in the penguin's unique golden appearance among a colony of 120,000. Nature has a way of surprising us in the most unexpected moments. Just when we think we've seen everything, something so rare and breathtaking comes up that it stops us in our tracks. Whether it's a once-in-a-lifetime animal sighting or an unexplainable natural phenomenon. Wildlife photography often brings these wonders to light, capturing not just images but stories, and questions that science is still working to answer. It also reminds us of the fragile balance in which wildlife exists. One such moment stirred curiosity across the world when a Belgian wildlife photographer, Yves Adams, had the rarest stroke of luck during a two‑month expedition to South Georgia Island. He captured images of a king penguin with bright yellow plumage, a creature that had never been seen before. Among a massive colony of roughly 120,000 standard black-and-white King Penguins, one stood out for its golden feathers shimmering like sunlight on ice. Photos taken of the bird only surfaced a year later, surprising people around the world with its ethereal beauty. The moment was unexpected and magical. 'One of the birds looked really strange, and when I looked closer, it was yellow,' Adams later told The Independent. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo 'We all went crazy when we realised. We dropped all the safety equipment and grabbed our cameras'. What caused the unusual appearance of the penguin? King penguins normally wear a classic tuxedo of black and white with patches of yellow at their necks. But this particular bird lacked melanin in its black feathers, turning them instead into shades of yellow and cream, which is identified as leucism. According to Livescience, experts like conservation biologist Dee Boersma and ecologist Hein van Grouw confirmed that the bird is most likely leucistic, not albino. Boersma explained, 'This penguin is lacking some pigment so it is [leucistic]. True albinos have lost all pigment' . With some subtle brown tones retained in certain feathers, the bird may be described using terms such as ino, a European term for a partial pigment oxidation fault, though definitions vary across regions (Audubon). What is Leucism? Leucism in penguins is extraordinarily rare; estimates suggest it occurs in between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 146,000 individuals, fitting the luck of stumbling upon one during Adams's trip (Bored Panda). Its exceptional colour could make survival more difficult, as the normal dark-on-back, light-on-belly shade helps to camouflage penguins from predators both from above and below the water surface. It is a rare condition that causes animals to lose some or all of the pigment in their skin, feathers, or fur. Unlike albinism, which completely blocks melanin production and often results in pink eyes, leucism only affects the distribution of pigment, so animals can still have normal-colored eyes and beaks. In birds, this can lead to patches of white feathers or, in rare cases, an entirely pale or unusual shade. The pigment cells still exist, but they don't work properly when forming colour in certain areas. It's a natural genetic mutation and doesn't usually harm the animal.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
Massive Iron Age hoard found after 2,000 years—Elite relics among the trove
History doesn't always whisper from crumbling ruins or faded records; sometimes some very important discoveries are made by digging deep in the soil, too. An important discovery has been made in northern England, where archaeologists have found something that goes far beyond the usual broken pots and rusted tools. This new discovery is a buried time capsule of power and prestige, including more than 800 stunning Iron Age artifacts, resting untouched for 2,000 years. This isn't just a lucky find, it's a discovery that could rewrite what we know about life in ancient Britain. Massive Iron Age treasure hoard tells about elite life in ancient Britain This discovery is being called one of the largest Iron Age discoveries ever made in the UK, Archaeologists have unearthed a hoard of over 800 ancient objects in Melsonby, Yorkshire. The site, known as the Melsonby Hoard, includes an extraordinary collection of horse harnesses, chariot parts, ceremonial weapons, and ornate vessels, where some are valued at over $3,00,000 collectively. According to archaeologist Tom Moore, who led the excavation, 'The Melsonby Hoard is of a scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe.' Moore noted that the presence of items blending Mediterranean and Iron Age British styles, like a wine mixing bowl, shows clear evidence of long-distance connections. 'Whoever originally owned the material in this hoard was probably a part of a network of elites across Britain, into Europe, and even the Roman world,' he said. The excavation was launched after a local metal detectorist alerted the British Museum through the Portable Antiquities Scheme. With support from Historic England, archaeologists from Durham University began a full dig in 2022, funded with over £120,000. A significant portion of the hoard includes decorated bridle bits and fittings in detail, some adorned with coral from the Mediterranean. 'If you imagine these decorating the ponies, it would look incredibly elaborate,' said Sophia Adams, a curator at the British Museum. She added, 'This region doesn't have many of these more ostentatious displays of wealth as you might get in a grave in southern England.' One of the most important finds of this excavation is a massive cauldron found buried upside down with no soil inside and rare images of swirling fish engraved on its base. 'This is really rare to find on pre-Roman objects,' said Adams. The cauldron's unusual appearance, including bright blues and greens, is attributed to the airless soil pockets in which it was buried. The most important discovery Perhaps the most mysterious part of the dig is a mass of tightly packed artifacts known as 'the block.' The archaeologists couldn't separate the individual items because they were corroded together. Instead, they used CT scans to examine the interior. 'What they seem to have done is thread spears through hoops or nave bands and tangled everything together before wrapping it in fabric,' Adams explained. The block also revealed a human-like face molded in sheet metal, which comes as one of many signs that these objects may have had ceremonial or funerary significance, even though no human remains were found. All these artifacts, including ornate horse gear to complex burial practices, gives a rare and vivid window into Iron Age life in northern Britain. As research continues, experts hope it will reshape what we know about early elite societies, cross-cultural trade, and the role of status in ancient times.
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Indian Express
8 books to read if you love Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a masterpiece of absurdist sci-fi, blending cosmic existentialism with sheer, unbridled silliness. Originally conceived as a radio series for BBC Radio 4, it was later published as a series of novels. The book follows the adventures and misadventures of the last surviving Earth man, Arthur Dent, following the demolition of the Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is the first in the series and has a huge following across the globe. Besides the original radio series and the novels, the sci-fi series has been adapted for TV, theatre cinema, and even a comic book. If you've finished the series and crave more, here are eight books that will scratch that itch: Imagine Hitchhiker's Guide meets Eurovision (an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union), if losing meant the annihilation of Earth. This novel follows Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes, a washed-up glam-rock band, as they compete in an intergalactic singing contest to prove humanity's sentience. Valente's prose is flamboyant, hilarious, and surprisingly poignant, packed with bizarre alien cultures and biting satire. The book's central thesis— life is beautiful and life is stupid'—could easily be Adams' own. If you love cosmic absurdity with heart, this is a must-read. Based on the cult British sci-fi series, this novel follows the last human in existence (a slob named Lister), his hologram roommate (the endlessly sarcastic Rimmer), a neurotic android, and a creature evolved from Lister's cat. Stranded on the mining ship Red Dwarf, they bumble through time paradoxes, sentient vending machines, and petty arguments about curry. The humour is quintessentially British: dry, absurd, and packed with existential dread. If you love Hitchhiker's blend of sci-fi, this is your next read. This book is Hitchhiker's meets Lovecraftian horror, if Arthur Dent stumbled into a dimension-hopping drug trip. The story follows Dave and John, two slackers who gain the ability to perceive alternate realities after taking a mysterious substance called Soy Sauce. What follows is a chaotic mix of time loops, meat monsters, and existential horror, all delivered with deadpan humour. Wong's writing is as unpredictable as Adams', blending the ridiculous with the profound. If you enjoyed the weirder, darker corners of Hitchhiker's, this is a wild ride. It isn't fiction, but Munroe's book matches Hitchhiker's energy. The creator of xkcd, a serial webcomic created in 2005, applies rigorous science to questions such as: what if you tried to hit a baseball at near-light speed or could you build a jetpack using machine guns. The answers are hilarious, hyper-literal, and often terrifying. If you loved the Guide's footnotes and pseudo-scientific tangents, this is the perfect nonfiction companion. If you haven't read Adams' other great series, you're missing out. Dirk Gently swaps space for time travel, ghosts, and a detective who believes in the 'fundamental interconnectedness of all things.' The plot involves an electric monk (a device resembling a human being and created for the purpose of believing things), a time-traveling professor, and a sofa stuck in a staircase. It is just as witty and bizarre as Hitchhiker's. Essential reading for Adams fans. This genre-bending novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where reality itself has been warped by 'Go Away Bombs', weapons that erase things from existence. The narrator, a martial artist and former government operative, recounts his life in a world where unwritten things can suddenly manifest. Harkaway's writing is dense, philosophical, and laugh-out-loud funny, with Adams-esque tangents and a deeply weird sense of humor. If you like sci-fi that's both smart and ridiculous, this is a gem. If you've only read Hitchhiker's Guide (Book 1), stop everything and read this sequel. The novel doubles down on the absurdity, featuring a five-star eatery at the literal end of time, the worst poet in the universe, and the revelation that Earth was actually a supercomputer designed to find the Ultimate Question. Marvin the Paranoid Android gets even more hilariously depressed, and Zaphod's ego reaches new heights. It's peak Adams, irreverent, clever, and endlessly quotable. Other books you could check out include, The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, All Systems Red by Martha Wells and Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
