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How whales breathe, communicate ... and fart with their faces - Joy Reidenberg

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Comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg studies the body structure of many different animals in the hope of adapting their unique qualities for human applications. Her favorite? Whales. In this TEDYouth Talk, Reidenberg explains how these majestic, awe-inspiring mammals "fart with their face" (a process more formally known as echolocation) to send their unique sounds through the water.

All whales derive from a common land-dwelling ancestor, but diverged over time along two different evolutionary paths, resulting in two different groups: toothed whales (including dolphins, porpoises, and sperm whales) and baleen whales (including fin, blue, and humpback whales). What are some of the differences in their anatomy, and how do these differences affect sound production?

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  • Speaker Joy Reidenberg

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