1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum here. Animals, for better or for worse, have 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: a long history as faithful allies to humans in war zones. 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: Perhaps the most notable of the battlefield animals is the horse, 5 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: which throughout human history has aided soldiers during combat, and 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: to this day, militaries still train dogs to guard sites 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: and soldiers a find explosives, and conduct search and rescue. 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: But still another animal aids the military by going where 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: dogs and horses can't. Underwater undersea mines have been responsible 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: for sinking or damaging many ships. Since World War II, 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: more ships have been damaged from mines than from all 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: other causes combined, including active enemy attacks. Beginning in the 13 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties, the US Navy's Marine Mammal Program started training 14 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: bottlenose dolphins to find explosive minds under water as well 15 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: as other suspicious objects. The dolphins don't disarm or explode 16 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: the mines, but rather locate the mines for humans to 17 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: subsequently disarm or mark for avoidance, all without putting the 18 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: dolphin in any substantial danger. Trainers using fish as a 19 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,639 Speaker 1: reward and ignoring incorrect behaviors teach the dolphins to spot 20 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: suspicious man made metal objects from far away. A dolphin 21 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: learns to search for mines, and, upon finding one, swims 22 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: back up to the trainer's boat to poke an appropriate 23 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: signifier like a ball, with its nose. The humans then 24 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: give the dolphin a boy or a special device known 25 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: as an acoustic transponder, which the animal leaves in the 26 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: area where it spotted the mine. An acoustic transponder produces 27 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: a distinct sound that allows human divers to find it later. 28 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: During the Cold War, the then classified Marine Mammal Program 29 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: had over a hundred dolphins in its service, locating minds 30 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: and other objects, delivering equipment to divers, and even helping 31 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: guard vessels by alerting crude to potential threats like swimmers 32 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: who might be looking to plant explosives. Though the Navy 33 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: can equip dolphins with cameras and sensors, it's really the dolphins' 34 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: natural abilities that make them perfect for jobs like mind detection. 35 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: Unlike the mechanical devices that the Navy builds to detect minds, 36 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: dolphins can easily tell the difference between man made and 37 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: natural objects, and invaluable skill given mind makers can craftily 38 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: disguise them. Dolphins have a remarkably sophisticated sonar ability, using 39 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: their sense of hearing to perceive objects in even very 40 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: murky water. This ability is so evolutionarily honed that human 41 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: technology hasn't come close to replicating it. Sonar is short 42 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 1: for sound navigation and ranging. It's a method of using 43 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: and interpreting sounds to detect the location of something, especially 44 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: in water, where it's handy for two reasons. First, bodies 45 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: of water are often far too murky for sight, and second, 46 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: sound travels well underwater. After all, sound travels by vibrating particles, 47 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: and the particles in water are much denser than the 48 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,839 Speaker 1: particles in air, so water allows sound waves to move 49 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: faster and for longer distances without degrading a Sonar technology 50 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: works by sending out sounds and waiting for the sounds 51 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: to bounce off of other objects and come back the 52 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: same way that an echo bounces back to us in 53 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: a cave. This technology is called active sonar, as opposed 54 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: to passive sonar, or simply listening for the noises of 55 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,839 Speaker 1: other active objects. With sonar, we can interpret vital informations 56 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: such as exactly how far away enemy submarines are Humans 57 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: have been using sonar for over one hundred years, but 58 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: dolphins have been at it for millennia. The tricks of 59 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: sonar are built into their DNA, so much so that 60 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: they can tell the difference between a beepy gun pellet 61 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: and a kernel of corn from fifty feet away. A 62 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: dolphin's sonar process, but also used by bats and some whales, 63 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: is called echolocation. If you've ever heard a dolphin, you'll 64 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,919 Speaker 1: immediately recognize its characteristic clicks and squeaks. But there's more 65 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: than meets the ear, and many of the noises they 66 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: make are at frequencies too high for the human ear 67 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: to detect. Essentially, dolphins use these clicks as active sonar mechanisms. 68 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: A dolphin's echolocation process goes like this. The dolphin uses 69 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: its nasal passages to make a series of clicks. The 70 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: sound waves travel through its forehead, which contains a fatty 71 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,239 Speaker 1: organ called the melon that focuses and directs the waves 72 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: as they move out into the water. When the sound 73 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: waves hit an object in the water, they bounce back 74 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: to the dolphin as an echo. The dolphin absorbs this 75 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: returning echo through its lower jaw. Another passage of fat 76 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: in the jaw conducts the sound to the dolphin's inner ear, 77 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: which then exchanges nerve impulses with the brain to interpret 78 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: the object's characteristics such as size, shape, and material. One 79 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: way to think about the echolocation process is to imagine 80 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: you're in a pitch black room with only a flickering 81 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: flashlight to guide you. To help understand an object, a 82 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: dolphin will move around it and read it from multiple 83 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: points of view, as you might in the dark room, 84 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: as well as with varying kinds of clicks. They'll even 85 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: adapt for noisy environments by adjusting the frequency of their clicks. 86 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: Using this process, dolphins can determine the size and shape 87 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: of objects, and even in some cases distinguish different metals 88 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: such as brass and copper from far away, which assists 89 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: them in finding minds. However, this has also been why 90 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: in the past dolphins were so prone to getting caught 91 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 1: in fishing nets. The nets traditionally didn't seem to register 92 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: to dolphins using sonar to navigate. Newer nets are equipped 93 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: with shell shaped plastic beacons that reflect and amplify a 94 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: collocation signals to help prevent these accidents. Researchers aren't sure 95 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: how a dolphin's brain interprets sonar information. So much of 96 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: our human understanding relies on visual information that it's hard 97 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: for us to wrap our minds around the idea of 98 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: seeing objects so specifically with our ears. Because dolphins are 99 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: so good with sonar, studying them hopefully will help us 100 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: improve our own sonar technology, and the Marine Mammal Program 101 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: has funded all kinds of research into these and other 102 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: marine animals physiology, health, behavior, and sensory systems. Thanks to 103 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: this and other research, underwater drones are improving all the time, 104 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: but the dolphins' capabilities are still unmatched, and the Marine 105 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: Mammal Program persists to this day. Then has used bottlenosed 106 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: dolphins and sometimes California sea lions as security agents, detecting 107 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: swimmers and divers around vessels during the Vietnam War, the 108 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: Gulf War, and beyond. The program was mostly declassified and 109 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: heavily downsized in the nineteen nineties, but out of a 110 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: base in San Diego, the Navy still trains both dolphins 111 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: and sea lions as guards a plus the dolphins for 112 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: mine location and the sea lions for equipment location and recovery. 113 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: The sea lions can be trained to attach recovery lines 114 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: to found equipment. Of course, using animals to do military 115 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: work comes with a lot of questions. How are they 116 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: cared for and how safe and satisfied are they during 117 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: missions and transport. The Navy maintains a staff of trainers 118 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: and veterinarians who administer daily preventative health care as well 119 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: as regular exams, and they run mobile clinics that travel 120 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: with the animals during deployment. Nting process is much safer 121 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: for the dolphins than it might sound. Dolphins aren't trained 122 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: to get close to a mine, but rather to sense 123 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: it from a safe distance, and if the dolphins were 124 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: to happen close to a mine, it shouldn't explode. Mines 125 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: are not built to detonate when disturbed by marine life, 126 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: but rather by large, heavy ships. If animals the size 127 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,239 Speaker 1: of dolphins could detonate a mine, the mine would explodes 128 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: soon after being planted, a rendering it useless as a 129 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: weapon against enemy ships. Still, animal rights groups find fault 130 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: with the program. Deployment can mean transportation via ships, cargo planes, 131 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: or trucks. The Navy uses special enclosures to keep the 132 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: animals safe, but distance travel can be inherently uncomfortable, even 133 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: for humans who understand what's going on. Plus, the waters 134 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: that the animals are deployed into are unfamiliar environments, potentially 135 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: with fairly different water conditions than what they're used to. 136 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: There are regulations in place about things like temperature changes, 137 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: but all of this could be a source of stress 138 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: for the animals, which could have a negative impact on 139 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: the animal's health and well being. Also, when an animal 140 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: is retired, what happens then. Although a few of the 141 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: program's animals have just left, they are trained partially in 142 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: open waters, so they have that option. It's generally not 143 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,439 Speaker 1: recommended to release animals into the wild that are comfortable 144 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: with humans and have come to rely on human provided 145 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: food and shelter. Some retired dolphins have found homes in 146 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 1: marine sanctuaries. Others have been kept in the Navy's care. 147 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: From the other side of the Cold War, some of 148 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 1: the Soviet Navy's dolphins originally trained for military operations have 149 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: been retrained as therapy animals for children. In the end, 150 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: animal activists question, is it ever okay to use creatures 151 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: that are completely ignorant of the danger involved in war. 152 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: Is there any benefit to human life that can excuse 153 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: removing wild animals from wild environments or at least from 154 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: adapted sanctuaries. Is the benefit that the animals receive from 155 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: guaranteed food, shelter, and socialization worth it? These are complicated questions. 156 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: If you'd like to learn more about the Marine mammal program, 157 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 1: you can visit the United States Naval Undersea Museum online 158 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: or in person in Keyport, Washington, or for personnel with 159 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: base access in San Diego, you can schedule a tour 160 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:37,679 Speaker 1: through the Connaissance and Interdiction Division. Today's episode is based 161 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: on the article how can dolphins disarmed Sea Mindes on 162 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by Jane mcgrat. Brain stuff It 163 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,319 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks 164 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more 165 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 166 00:10:53,400 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.