{"id":1570,"date":"2026-06-03T10:05:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570"},"modified":"2026-06-03T10:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:05:59","slug":"scientists-are-cracking-the-code-of-interspecies-communication-is-that-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570","title":{"rendered":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div> <div>\n<button>\n<strong>\n<span><svg>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>Summary<\/span>\n<\/strong>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<\/button>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Scientists are working to decode animal language, in the hopes of one day communicating with other species.<\/li>\n<li>Researchers have found that animals combine calls to create new meanings, suggesting rudimentary syntax once thought unique to humans.<\/li>\n<li>Some experts warn that interspecies communication raises ethical concerns and could harm wild animal populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<span>AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            In the Karoo, South Africa\u2019s vast semidesert, an African striped mouse basks in the morning warmth outside the bush it calls home.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1538\">Americans of all political stripes want to regulate ultraprocessed foods. Is anyone listening?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            Nearby, audio equipment casts a long shadow on the rust-colored earth and emits a string of high-frequency squeaks inaudible to human ears, interrupting the rodent\u2019s tranquil morning routine. The mouse recognizes the call as coming from a mouse in a neighboring nest bush, just as the scientists broadcasting it had intended.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The striped mouse rises up on its hind legs, an expression of measured vigilance. When the researchers playa call from a mouse in the same nest, however, the striped mouse carries on sunbathing, unperturbed.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWhen it\u2019s a vocalization from a neighboring individual, they pay a lot more attention. They really look at the speaker. They are disturbed,\u201d said Nicolas Mathevon, a professor at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, who led the research on African striped mice.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cIf it\u2019s from a complete stranger, then we see an even stronger reaction, like the mouse fleeing into the bush because they are really surprised.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The research is the first to decode the hidden sounds of mice in the wild, and it\u2019s one of several studies in the past few years that are revealing just how sophisticated vocal communication between animals can be \u2014 even when the sounds are imperceptible to human ears.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cNot so long ago, people thought that animals were not communicating at all, or very simple things,\u201d said Mathevon, who is the author of \u201cThe Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate.\u201d He has studied animal communication in birds, dolphins, monkeys, hyenas and crocodiles, and even attempted to parse the cries of human babies for meaning. Hippos are next on his list.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Equipped with sophisticated recording equipment, machine learning algorithms, and a deep well of resolve and patience, bioacousticians are finding communication patterns between animals once thought unique to humans. The discoveries challenge the ideas about what makes human language special.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Ultimately, researchers say they will not only listen in on animal speech but develop the ability to talk back, like the fictional character Dr. Dolittle. Experts disagree on whether two-way communication will ultimately benefit animals.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        Decoding animal communication in the field\n<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Animal comms vignette_STRIPED MICE _THUMB.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1555\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>The hidden chatter of African striped mice\n                <\/div>\n<div>\n<span>\n                                        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:51\n                            <\/span>\n<span> \u2022 Source:\n                \n                    CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Animal comms vignette_STRIPED MICE _THUMB.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1556\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fcd3ae91c92d74d5604dd89a8a2b798e.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fcd3ae91c92d74d5604dd89a8a2b798e.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fcd3ae91c92d74d5604dd89a8a2b798e-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<svg><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>The hidden chatter of African striped mice<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:51\n         \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            In 2023, Mathevon and his colleagues recorded 122,619 squeaks from dozens of African striped mice over 12 days and nights using 23 microphones spaced out over four nest bushes. The vocal repertoire consisted of at least seven different squeak types. The mice used some of the squeaks within their nests and others on the fringes of their territory.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The researchers used the information to train an artificial neural network \u2014 the same system that underpins large language models such as ChatGPT. The network allowed them to uncover that each nest of mice had a specific vocal signature. Further study has uncovered that individual mice had unique signatures.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cMachine learning is absolutely essential because you have too many calls, too many vocalizations, you cannot handle them,\u201d Mathevon said.<br\/>He explained that the sounds he and his team decoded represent \u201cstatic\u201d information about the identity of the mice that doesn\u2019t change over time. The next goal would be to try and decipher \u201cdynamic information\u201d he believes is coded in the calls, such as information about stress levels, which varies.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nicolas Mathevon of the University of Saint-Etienne in France has spent his scientific career studying animal communication.\" class=\"wp-image-1557\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f9896bfdc444d4b93be114aa2d4dfd23.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f9896bfdc444d4b93be114aa2d4dfd23.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f9896bfdc444d4b93be114aa2d4dfd23-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Nicolas Mathevon of the University of Saint-Etienne in France has spent his scientific career studying animal communication.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Courtesy L\u00e9o Perrier and Nicolas Mathevon<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The work on the African striped mice is one of four research projects listed as finalists for this year\u2019s Dolittle Prize. It awards $100,000 to honor significant advances in deciphering animal communication. The prize, sponsored by British billionaire businessman Jeremy Coller, also promises an award of either a $10 million investment or $500,000 in cash if a team can demonstrate that a species communicates independently with the researchers without recognizing that it is communicating with humans.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThe vision is supposed to be fluent two-way communication, where humans can interact with wild animals in the way that they interact with each other, creating a kind of genuine, meaningful contact,\u201d said prize judge Jonathan Birch, a professor of philosophy and director of The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at the London School of Economics. \u201cWe recognize we are a way from that goal.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            This year\u2019s winner will be announced on June 25. The inaugural winner in 2025 was a team that found a language-like communication system in the whistles of wild dolphins in Sarasota, Florida. While much research on animal communication focuses on large mammals thought to have relatively rich communication systems, such as primates and cetaceans (whales and dolphins), Birch said the judges try to cast a wide zoological net.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An African striped mouse walks toward a speaker\" class=\"wp-image-1558\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/eabfa51d654ca64860a5e432f2e8cb63.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/eabfa51d654ca64860a5e432f2e8cb63.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/eabfa51d654ca64860a5e432f2e8cb63-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>An African striped mouse walks toward a speaker<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>L\u00e9o Perrier and Nicolas Mathevon<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scientist conducted the bioacoustic experiment at Succulent Karoo Research Station in South Africa's Goegap Nature Reserve.\" class=\"wp-image-1559\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/38f2495a25ad9216a2563d24735403f6.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/38f2495a25ad9216a2563d24735403f6.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/38f2495a25ad9216a2563d24735403f6-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Scientist conducted the bioacoustic experiment at Succulent Karoo Research Station in South Africa&#8217;s Goegap Nature Reserve.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>L\u00e9o Perrier and Nicolas Mathevon<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            In addition to the striped mice researchers, this year\u2019s finalists include scientists decoding the communication of two species of great ape in Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and boisterous red-beaked songbirds known as zebra finches, native to Australia but kept in captivity in California. A 2025 finalist deciphered gestures made by cuttlefish in a French laboratory.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThere\u2019s probably all kinds of complexity out there that we\u2019re only just beginning to even notice,\u201d Birch said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The biggest challenge researchers face, he added, is getting enough data. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen in the human case is that AI systems, on the face of it, once looked much too simple to do anything interesting, but once there\u2019s enough training data, you see these extraordinary emerging capabilities.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        \u2018Let\u2019s build a nest\u2019\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            Wild animals, of course, have not been busy generating training data for our human-made, trillions-of-words-large language models. Getting enough information in the wild for even a simple model can take decades.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Catherine Crockford, head of the Ape Social Mind Lab at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in Lyon, France, started her professional life as a speech and language therapist working in London hospitals. But in the late 1990s, she got interested in the evolution of language and began studying the wild chimpanzees that roam the Ta\u00ef National Park in Ivory Coast. \u201cThe idea that their communication was interesting was not fashionable,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve come a long way since then.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Catherine Crockford of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in France was a speech therapist before she began studying chimpanzees in the Ta\u00ef National Park in Ivory Coast.\" class=\"wp-image-1560\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/27721bda00d5e2b09234c4c62d7f4810.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/27721bda00d5e2b09234c4c62d7f4810.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/27721bda00d5e2b09234c4c62d7f4810-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Catherine Crockford of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in France was a speech therapist before she began studying chimpanzees in the Ta\u00ef National Park in Ivory Coast.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Tai Chimpanzee Project<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Crockford and her collaborator Roman Wittig, a senior scientist and research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have spent years gathering around 20,000 of hours of recordings of chimpanzee calls. The duo\u2019s latest work suggests that the apes can create new meaning by stringing sounds together in pairs \u2014 something akin to syntax, which was once thought to be a unique hallmark of human language.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWe have 150 chimpanzees that we know personally. Many of them you know from birth to death by now, because we are in the third generation of individuals that we are observing,\u201d Wittig said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Crockford said the team\u2019s latest work found that, while the chimps only have 12 call types in their repertoire, they have the flexibility to combine these calls in all sorts of ways to modify meaning or generate new meanings, \u201cwhich really gives them much more capacity to say things.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The researchers found 16 two-call combinations. Some of them added to or clarified one of the call\u2019s meaning \u2014 for example: \u201cI\u2019m feeding and resting,\u201d the team worked out. Meanwhile, four calls were combined to create an entirely new meaning. \u201cHoo,\u201d a call made when resting, combined with a \u201cpanted-grunt\u201d used as a greeting, for example, means \u201cLet\u2019s build a nest.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"animal-comms-vignette-chimpanzees_THUMB.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1561\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7835a1433cc709f2265f677c3a8df2b0-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7835a1433cc709f2265f677c3a8df2b0-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7835a1433cc709f2265f677c3a8df2b0-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7835a1433cc709f2265f677c3a8df2b0.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Talking chimp to chimp\n                <\/div>\n<div>\n<span>\n                                        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:36\n                            <\/span>\n<span> \u2022 Source:\n                \n                    CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"animal-comms-vignette-chimpanzees_THUMB.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1562\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/996eed1251adffe09789b9970612416e.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/996eed1251adffe09789b9970612416e.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/996eed1251adffe09789b9970612416e-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<svg><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>Talking chimp to chimp<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:36\n         \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            M\u00e9lissa Berthet, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Milan, spent nine months observing bonobos in the remote rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She and her colleagues found that the ape \u2014 a close relative of the chimpanzee but with a dramatically different, female-dominated social structure \u2014 uses similar paired calls.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Over the course of nine months, Berthet got up at 4 a.m. to follow the apes through dense forest, where they travel several miles each day before nesting. She made detailed voice notes of what had happened just before the bonobos made their calls: Was the bonobo feeding? Was he traveling? Was he alone or with others? For each call she recorded, she ticked off a list of more than 300 parameters.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"M\u00e9lissa Berthet spent nine months in the Democratic Republic of Congo tracking and recording wild bonobos to understand their vocalizations.\" class=\"wp-image-1563\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bd0aedcc2b3756cf99810ad7fe9fd2fd.jpg\" width=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bd0aedcc2b3756cf99810ad7fe9fd2fd.jpg 650w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bd0aedcc2b3756cf99810ad7fe9fd2fd-190x300.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>M\u00e9lissa Berthet spent nine months in the Democratic Republic of Congo tracking and recording wild bonobos to understand their vocalizations.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Morgan Roh\u00e9e<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            It wasn\u2019t until she was back at her then-base at the University of Zurich in Switzerland that a clearer picture began to take shape. Berthet used a mathematical technique to analyze hundreds of hours of recordings. She captured 700 calls from different bonobos and created a visual map of the single and combination calls that could be used to investigate their meaning.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            For example, she found when a \u201cpeep\u201d call, used to suggest a course of action, is combined with a \u201cwhistle,\u201d used singly to help keep the group together when traveling, the combination had a totally different meaning.<br\/>Instead, it denotes a tense social situation.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThey used it during very sensitive social context, for example, when someone is threatening someone else,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a way to say, \u2018I would like that we make peace.\u2019\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Animal comms vignette_BONOBOS-thumb.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1564\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ef4d8459c91ab9ae75187d7196cd5a11-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ef4d8459c91ab9ae75187d7196cd5a11-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ef4d8459c91ab9ae75187d7196cd5a11-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ef4d8459c91ab9ae75187d7196cd5a11.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Bonobos combine calls\n                <\/div>\n<div>\n<span>\n                                        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:27\n                            <\/span>\n<span> \u2022 Source:\n                \n                    CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Animal comms vignette_BONOBOS-thumb.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1565\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9f7bb7242f68c548cde68bb059d3de90.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9f7bb7242f68c548cde68bb059d3de90.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9f7bb7242f68c548cde68bb059d3de90-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<svg><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>Bonobos combine calls<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:27\n         \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Crockford said the team had begun to use artificial intelligence tools and found they \u201cmassively speed up the process of managing large data sets.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cOne thing that makes the chimpanzee vocal repertoire difficult is that the vocalizations grade into one another. You can have grunts that grade into \u2018hoos\u2019 or grade into barks, and barks that grade into screams and so on,\u201d she said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cSo we gave AI this problem: classifying these grunts according to the context in which they\u2019re emitted. And it did a really decent job,\u201d Crockford said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Together, the findings in chimpanzees and bonobos suggest a rudimentary form of syntax, the rules that govern word order in human language and give it flexibility and creativity. For example, in English, \u201cape goes\u201d and \u201cgo ape\u201d use the same words and have totally different meanings.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1532\">Supreme Court turns toward an explosive final month with Trump\u2019s priorities at stake<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            Many scientists believe that the vocal systems of great apes were too limited to be considered precursors of human language, but the work of Crockford, Berthet and their colleagues suggests otherwise. Getting a better understanding of these dynamic vocalizations also lays the groundwork necessary to achieve the goal of communicating with animals. Without understanding the meaning and function of animal vocalizations, two-way communication would be impossible.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Berthet, however, is torn on whether the benefits of speaking with animals will outweigh potential harms. While being able to communicate with domesticated and zoo animals, whose lives are deeply intertwined with humans, could improve their care, she was less sure about wild animals.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI work in this field to understand animals and obviously it would be a dream to talk with them, but I think we have to be very careful,\u201d she said. \u201cI would be afraid that if we take this path we end up with tourism that is for talking with chimps, bonobos and then gorillas. And then you have very messed-up animals that don\u2019t understand why they are being told to go here or there or why someone wants to play with them.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            With these concerns in mind, Berthet and her colleagues are cautious about conducting playback experiments in the wild, similar to those Mathevon conducted with the African striped mice, that would allow them to confirm their findings. The researchers fear that the experiments are too invasive and could alter the social dynamics of the bonobo group.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWe don\u2019t want individuals to hear their own voice, right? These are species we work with. They\u2019re very intelligent, they\u2019re very socially aware, and I want to avoid, at any price, to mess with their heads,\u201d said Martin Surbeck, an associate professor in the department of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, who in 2016 helped establish the bonobo research site at Kokolopori, where Berthet conducted her field work. \u201cIt would be quite unsettling and might have consequences we really cannot anticipate.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Groups such as Project CETI or the Cetacean Translation Initiative, which works with sperm whales, are already looking at the legal and ethical implications that might arise if humans become better able to understand animal communication.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        What will animals tell us?\n<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Native to Australia, zebra finches are boistorous, red-beaked birds.\" class=\"wp-image-1566\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cc8b46d5190c5ed4f969007b22cf192c.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cc8b46d5190c5ed4f969007b22cf192c.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cc8b46d5190c5ed4f969007b22cf192c-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Native to Australia, zebra finches are boistorous, red-beaked birds.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Julie E Elie<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Julie Elie, an associate project scientist in the department of neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, now works with zebra finches in captivity after studying them in the wild. She ventured that it would be easier to crack the code of interspecies communication with birds than with primates or whales.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThey are really vocal animals and they are easy for us to observe. We can constrain the space in which they live without, you know, oppressing them and still have natural behaviors,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to keep a whale in a swimming pool.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            While whale song has fascinated scientists for decades and AI has been used to discover something akin to a phonetic alphabet in the clicks used by sperm whales, what they are saying largely remains a mystery. That\u2019s because it\u2019s much harder to track and observe whales in their natural environment and therefore link vocalizations to specific actions.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            In her work with zebra finches, Elie has categorized 11 of the birds\u2019 calls, linking them to distinct meanings such as hunger, danger, bonding and social conflict.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Her catalog agreed with the calls documented in the wild by the late ornithologist Richard Zann. However, she wanted to go a step further and know whether the birds agreed with her categorization.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            To do this, she devised an experiment using zebra finches trained to peck a button. Each time the button was pressed, a different call would sound. The specific call-typethat Elie wanted to study on a given day was rewarded with a seed.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cEach day the bird has to find out what call-type \u2026 is associated with the reward,\u201d Elie explained. Usually, the bird started off by listening to several calls in their entirety until they got to the rewarded vocalization. After this happens a few times, the zebra finch \u201cquickly learns to interrupt the playback of non-rewarded sounds to trigger the next one\u201d \u2014 not unlike how a human might swipe through uninteresting videos, she added.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWhat we showed is that they are able to do this classification task across every call-type that we, humans, identified in their repertoire,\u201d she said. \u201cFor the first time, we were able to ask animals if we have correctly identified the \u2018words\u2019 or building blocks of their \u2018language.\u2019\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"animal comms vignette_ZEBRA FINCHES-thumb.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1567\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/23250e3479a1211053042c6eba37ebba-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/23250e3479a1211053042c6eba37ebba-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/23250e3479a1211053042c6eba37ebba-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/23250e3479a1211053042c6eba37ebba.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>The vocal systems of zebra finches\n                <\/div>\n<div>\n<span>\n                                        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:49\n                            <\/span>\n<span> \u2022 Source:\n                \n                    CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"animal comms vignette_ZEBRA FINCHES-thumb.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-1568\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f3916a4773da4b72cbd31db360a81115.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f3916a4773da4b72cbd31db360a81115.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f3916a4773da4b72cbd31db360a81115-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<svg><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>The vocal systems of zebra finches<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>        \n        \n            \n            \n        0:49\n         \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            She also discovered that the birds weren\u2019t perfect. Sometimes they interrupted vocalizations that would have given them a reward, or they waited until the end of the playback of a non-rewarded vocalization \u2014 but the errors followed a distinct pattern that suggested the birds were mixing up similar meanings rather than similar sounds.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Elie gave an example using human language: If the bird were to classify the words hurt, heart, love and glove, it would be more likely to make mistakes between heart and love (with similar meanings and different sounds) than love and glove (which have similar acoustics but different meanings).\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cBy demonstrating that zebra finches have a mental representation of the meaning of their calls, we are starting to break the wall between our own species and the rest of the animal kingdom.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            For the next step in her research, she hopes to design a robot that would move, sound and look like a zebra finch. However, even if successful, she predicts there will be limits to that communication. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remind ourselves that each species is living in its own world. What it makes sense to ask a human might not make sense to ask a bird,\u201d she said.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Julie Elie of UC Berkeley has studied zebra finches in the wild and in captivity.\" class=\"wp-image-1569\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cec7ea8b205c53a2fed57eeabe68b860.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cec7ea8b205c53a2fed57eeabe68b860.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cec7ea8b205c53a2fed57eeabe68b860-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Julie Elie of UC Berkeley has studied zebra finches in the wild and in captivity.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Courtesy Julie E Elie<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>\n        Will interspecies communication be a good thing?\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            It\u2019s clear that artificial intelligence will yield a greater understanding of animal communication and allow scientists to better mimic animal speech. But it\u2019s far less certain whether these tools will enable two-way communication with animals in the way humans, brought up on \u201cThe Jungle Book,\u201d might desire, said Yossi Yovel, a professor at Tel Aviv University\u2019s department of zoology, who studies bat communication and chairs the Dolittle Prize\u2019s judging panel.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI think interspecies communication, it will exist. It\u2019ll just be much more boring than some people maybe imagine,\u201d he said. \u201cI would love to speak to my cat. Unfortunately, it might be a limited conversation.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Berthet agreed. \u201cThey\u2019re not us. They have different needs and different interests. And so it\u2019s very unlikely even if one day we managed to have this two-way communication that we can talk about war or ecology.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            It\u2019s also possible that humans might not like what they hear, the researchers added, particularly when it comes to domesticated animals, pets or those kept in captivity. \u201cIf we want to talk with animals, are we willing to listen to what they actually say?\u201d Surbeck asked.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Interacting with animals comes with a large degree of uncertainty about what is being communicated and its effects on the animals in question, which could result in emotional or physical harm, said Mark Ryan, a senior digital ethics researcher at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI feel that a lot of animal communication research is done for the right reasons: to get a better understanding of the non-human world, to develop scientific knowledge about animals and our place in the world, and as a rationale for conservation,\u201d Ryan, who has coauthored a paper on the ethical risks of trying to \u201cspeak whale,\u201d said via email.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cHowever, I am much more sceptical about the \u2018two-way\u2019 communication being proposed in competitions such as this.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Melanie Challenger, an ethicist and vice president at the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals or RSPCA, said the study of animal communication was \u201cfascinating,\u201d but she didn\u2019t believe it would necessarily result in a fairer future for animals.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThere\u2019ll be all kinds of surprises that it throws up,\u201d said Challenger, who is the author of the upcoming book \u201cAlive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World.\u201d \u201cBut I think we\u2019re still in danger of falling into the trap of expecting them to be like us, and if they\u2019re not like us enough, then we don\u2019t think we need to consider them.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Mathevon argued, however, that even if we\u2019re never able to talk to animals in a human way, understanding the complexities of animal communication, and attempting to mimic or tap into it, would benefit animals.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            For example, in an effort to prevent collisions, trains in Japan emit warning signals based on the snortlike sound deer use to alert others when they\u2019re in danger, he noted.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Information encoded in vocal systems could reveal useful details about stress levels that could help improve the welfare of farm and lab animals without invasive procedures such as blood tests.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            One day, he expected, it would be possible to have a \u201cDolittle machine\u201d that can communicate with animals. \u201cFor the species that are very well studied, I think there is no technical, specific limitations.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n<em>CNN\u2019s Max Burnell produced the video in this report.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n    Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.\n<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1524\">Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass punched her ticket for November\u2019s election. Spencer Pratt is still hoping for his<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bioacousticians are finding animal communication patterns once thought unique to humans \u2014 discoveries that challenge ideas about what makes human language special.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-science"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bioacousticians are finding animal communication patterns once thought unique to humans \u2014 discoveries that challenge ideas about what makes human language special.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570\"},\"wordCount\":3478,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Life\",\"Science\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570\",\"name\":\"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1570#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Times\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times","og_description":"Bioacousticians are finding animal communication patterns once thought unique to humans \u2014 discoveries that challenge ideas about what makes human language special.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570","og_site_name":"Relocation Times","article_published_time":"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d3c56f4467e14082e9b652992d1e9b91.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"headline":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?","datePublished":"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570"},"wordCount":3478,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg","articleSection":["Life","Science"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570","name":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing? - Relocation Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-03T10:05:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d723aac04a384847ad49438e3764b6d.jpg","width":800,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1570#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/","name":"Relocation Times","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationtimess.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}