During the height of the pandemic, there were little to no cruise ships sailing the world’s waters, which presented a unique opportunity for whale scientists. Whale researchers installed additional hydrophones (underwater microphones) to listen to whales and observe how they react to a quieter ocean. Whales use sound to communicate and to hunt their prey, so the researchers seized the opportunity to formulate solutions against underwater noise pollution. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here