Songs of the Humpback Whale: How one record helped save the whales

We have a real whale of a story for you this week! It’s a FIN-tastic classic. Joy and cohost Mina meet up with Hugh the humpback whale to hear the story of Marie Fish, a real-life biologist who used underwater microphones to show the world that life under the sea is full of sounds. Then, they’ll hear how scientist Roger Payne changed the course of history for whales by releasing a record of their songs. Don’t forget a splashy new First Things First!

A huge thank you to Science Friday’s podcast “Undiscovered” for sharing a recording of their interview with Roger Payne. This episode also includes recordings from Whale.org, Ocean Alliance and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Library.

Want to learn more about how and why whales make songs and clicks?Check out Brains On episode about whale communication here.

This episode was sponsored by: Wondery - Follow 'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast and unlock weekly Christmas mystery bonus content and listen to every episode ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.