The Loneliest Whale in the World.
In 2004, The New York Times wrote an article about the loneliest whale in the world. Scientists have been tracking her since 1992 and they discovered the problem:
She isn’t like any other baleen whale. Unlike all other whales, she doesn’t have friends. She doesn’t have a family. She doesn’t belong to any tribe, pack or gang. She doesn’t have a lover. She never had one. Her songs come in groups of two to six calls, lasting for five to six seconds each. But her voice is unlike any other baleen whale. It is unique—while the rest of her kind communicate between 12 and 25hz, she sings at 52hz. You see, that’s precisely the problem. No other whales can hear her. Every one of her desperate calls to communicate remains unanswered. Each cry ignored. And, with every lonely song, she becomes sadder and more frustrated, her notes going deeper in despair as the years go by.
Lunchtime Links:
Today on The Daily What Geek: Wil Wheaton talks about his departure fromStar Trek: The Next Generation
Elsewhere on the Internets:
- Skyrocketing: Negative political ads, up 750 percent over 2008
- Yanked: Ashton Kutcher’s racist ad for Popchips, after a massive backlash
- Trailblazing: America’s first Pirate Party candidates for office
- Licensed: Michael Jackson’s likeness, for use in upcoming Pepsi ads
- Ditched: The “Fig” in Fig Newtons
Lunchtime Leisure: Closure (via)
Lunchtime List: 10 Beautiful Bridges Inspired By Famous Books[image: thanks, aubrey!]