Project CETI

It’s here! You can now dive into our 2023 Annual Report!✨🤿 Staying true to our mission of listening to –and translating– what sperm whales are saying, in 2023 our team: 🔬Grew our science team to over 50 scientists from 15 renowned institutions worldwide 🐳Developed soft robotics technology like drones, whale tags, buoys, and CETI glider 📚Published a variety of peer-reviewed scientific papers that share our research with the world …and so much more! Explore the full report via the link in our bio. Special thanks to our partners @insidenatgeo and @theaudaciousproject ! 📸: @acottonphoto 🎨: @pact.media #CETI #spermwhales #whales #Dominica #interspeciescommunication #marinebiology #marinescience #robotics #machinelearning #nationalgeographic #ocean #conservation

Thank you Ross Andersen & @theatlantic for this insightful article. Link in bio. #Repost @theatlantic . ・・・ Assume that we are able to communicate something of substance to the sperm whale civilization, Ross Andersen asks. What should we say? When whales meet each other, they use a dialect of click sequences called codas, which could be considerably more ancient than Sanskrit. Project CETI, founded with some of the world’s leading artificial-intelligence researchers, has raised $33 million to record billions of these clicking sounds and decipher them using neural networks. “If they’re successful, humans could be able to initiate a conversation with whales,” Andersen writes. “This would be a first-contact scenario involving two species that have lived side by side for ages.” How would that play out? Andersen asked marine biologists, professors of animal-rights law, linguists, philosophers, and more. Some recommended that we not attempt it at all. “I’ve always been very anti–talking to them,” one marine biologist said. Whales may not want to talk to us; epochs have passed since our last common ancestor. Whoever we deployed would need to avoid approaching a lone whale; we might want to send a woman, as whales are matrilineal. Whales may fear “that she bears some relation to ships, the great audio polluters of their environment. The grandmother whales may associate her with the harpoons of industrial whaling.” A researcher in comparative bioacoustics hopes we may be able to use the rapidity of clicking to say something like “I am excited to see you.” And many people think we should start with “I’m sorry.” Richard Moore, a philosopher of language, told Andersen, “There is reason to believe that we could have a richer dialogue with sperm whales … He wouldn’t be surprised if whales are capable of communication that is ‘vastly more complex’ than we’re anticipating, or even comparable to human language….We will always be able to say things that no whale can understand. But to say anything at all to them could be as wondrous as landing on the moon.” 📸: Shawn Heinrichs @shawnheinrichs

Thank you @financialtimes for including us in “How AI is decoding the animal kingdom!” By Persis Love, Irene de la Torre Arenas, Sam Learner and Sam Joiner

Our July-August issue is LIVE! Cover story: can humans communicate with whales? The answer, and the FREE online issue, can be found at the link in our bio. 🐋 Audio credits: @projectceti #harvard #harvarduniversity #whales #journalism

CETI is thrilled to collaborate with the perfume house D.S. & DURGA (@dsanddurga ) in celebration of #WorldOceansDay !🐳🌟 Together we developed a perfume, named for a ‘common ground’ phrase between whale and human speak: LET’S DIVE! LET’S DIVE has top notes of marine water and seaweed extract; heart notes of big whale energy and wooly rock rose; base notes of synthesized ambergris and choya nahk accord. Learn more about the development of and inspiration behind LET’S DIVE on our website at the link in our bio! LET’S DIVE is available for purchase at D.S. & DURGA stores in NYC and LA & online at the link in our bio. 🎨: @chelsielcraig #CETI #DS &DURGA #SpermWhales #ambergris #LETSDIVE #perfume #ocean #whales #Dominica

Last week our perfumer David & scientist David Gruber of @projectceti gave a talk about whales, ambergris, and our new LET’S DIVE at our Mulberry street store.

Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay !! To honor this day, CETI would like to draw your attention to the global movement which inspired our work; the “Save The Whales” movement of the 1970’s! “Save The Whales” was ignited by the publishing of the “Songs of the Humpback Whale” recordings by CETI’s principal advisor, Dr. Roger Payne in 1970. The movement gained global traction and was instrumental in prompting the passing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act enacted on October 21, 1972 and in pressuring the International Whaling Commission to issue a moratorium on commercial whaling, which came into effect in 1986. Several parts of civil society were united in this cause, both indirectly and directly, from activists tailing whalers on boats, to artists producing art as calls to action, to grassroots environmental organizations and advocacy groups mobilizing protesters. The picture above is an artistic production of the movement, a poster designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection. CETI’s goal as an interdisciplinary, international not-for-profit organization is motivated by the success of this global movement and we hope to cultivate a similar global responsibility, through scientific exploration, for the continued conservation and protection of sperm whales and all marine life. #CETI #spermwhale #environment #marineconservation #songsofthehumpbackwhale #FriendsoftheEarth #SaveTheWhalesMovement #friedensreichhundertwasser

Are you familiar with the “Floating Gold” that Sperm Whales produce that is used in perfumery? Ambergris, also known as “Floating Gold”, is a solid waxy material produced by the bile duct in the intestines of sperm whales. Ambrein (C30H52O), a triterpene alcohol, is the chief constituent of ambergris making it one of the most highly valued perfumery materials in the world. Illusive of precise description, the odor of ambergris has been said to suggest fine tobacco, the wood in old churches, sandalwood, the smell of the tide, fresh earth and fresh seaweed in the sun; and has been used since the ancient Egyptians first burnt it as incense.🐋🪵 Because of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, ambergris is no longer used in perfume and instead production of synthetic ambrein has paved the way for its continued use in modern perfumery. So the next time you smell an incredible perfume, you might have a sperm whale to thank!✨ #CETI #Ambergris #spermwhales #perfume #science 📸:From Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris by Christopher Kemp

Saturday, June 8 is #WorldOceansDay ! This year, the World Oceans Day action theme is “Catalyzing Action for our Ocean & Climate.” Through our sperm whale research in #Dominica and our Dominica Marine Conservation Fellowship program, we seek to play a central role in ocean conservation by building on the legacy of the Save the Whales movement and increasing ocean literacy among youth in Dominica.🌊🇩🇲 To commemorate World Oceans Day, we invite you to post a short clip highlighting one of your memorable ocean moments and tag us at @projectceti !🐳 Learn more about our work in Dominica by going to our website and following our social media channels. One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together! #WorldOceansDay #SaveOurOcean #CETI #conservation #oceans #marineconservation #whales #Repost @michaelbjordan @unworldoceansday @unitednations

This spring we were honored to collaborate with Dominica’s Waitukubuli Artist Association (@kubuliarts ) on a CETI design contest. We’re so excited to congratulate and extend our gratitude to the contest winner, illustrator and digital artist Jenae Bell (@bell.artt ) and share her beautiful illustration for the first time!🐳🎨🥳 According to Jenae, “This piece encapsulates what CETI stands for. When I read the words Cetacean Translation Initiative, I envision a future where human beings are fully capable of understanding and conversing with our Neighbour’s in the water just as you would your Neighbours on land.” We would also like to thank and commend all of the other talented artists who participated in the competition! There were so many beautiful and thoughtful designs submitted, it was hard to choose our favorite! Follow @bell.artt to see more of Jenae’s incredible art!🎨 #ceti #Dominica #WAA #dominicandesigners #dominicadesigncompetition #interspeciescommunication #cetaceans #spermwhales #caribbeanart #art

Did you know that studying the developmental biology of cetaceans offers great promise for understanding mammalian design and the path of their evolution?🐋💫🐬✨ Cetacean embryological studies show evidence from the time when vertebrates emerged from the water, to the origin of mammals, to the eventual return of early whales back into fresh water and then sea water. The early part of cetacean evolution is one of the best documented examples of major morphological evolution in mammals with a well understood ecological context. ⬆️Above, you can see the development of cetacean tails and facial structures in embryos and fetuses; this image specifically is of the Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata). Cetaceans have pushed the boundaries of mammalian design to their limit and could illuminate what the constraints of that design are, given for example, their genetic background of remarkable reduction of their hair coat, which goes to the root of what defines a mammal.🐅🐄🐈. Cetacean embryology is crucial for understanding form and function of living whales and dolphins, as much of cetacean behavior and ecology are constrained by their morphology, and because cetacean morphology is a direct consequence of prenatal development. If you would like to learn more about Cetacean Evolution and Embryology check out the paper “Highlights of Cetacean Embryology” by J. G. M. Thewissen, at the link in our bio! #CETI #cetaceans #embryology #cetaceanevolution #cetaceanembryology #spermwhales #dolphins

CETI would like to highlight one of the participants of the 2023 CETI x @insidenatgeo Photo Camp Dominica, Derzan Peltier (@lazaeder )!🇩🇲📸 @ngphotocamp aims to inspire the next generation of storytellers, as they share their ideas and see the power of their own voice through photography and writing. Reflecting on the Dominica Photo Camp experience Derzan highlights that it “broadened my network and opened doors to more opportunities,” including his later participation in the @ngphotocamp in Washington DC later in 2023. He also says “every moment felt purposeful and every connection meaningful.” Follow @nature_island_beauty to see Derzan’s photography and videography! #CETI #photography #Dominica #NationalGeographic #naturephotography