A year and a half ago, neuroscientist Kamilla Souza got the call she’d been waiting for: A baby humpback whale had died just offshore.
She wanted its brain.
Souza says there’s very little known about the brains of whales and dolphins living in the waters off Central and South America. But studying them can teach scientists about the inner workings of these animals — about their behavior and how they’re adapted to living underwater.
This episode was reported by Ari Daniel. Read more of Ari’s reporting.
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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn and edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Damian Herring and Zo vanGinhoven were the audio engineers.