Extracting Brains ... For Science

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

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. That's because scientists know little about the brains of whales and dolphins off the Central and South American coasts. Studying them, like Kamilla is doing, can teach scientists about the inner workings of these animals — about their behavior and how they're adapted to living underwater. So, she has to race against time to save the brains. The heat in this area of Brazil accelerates decomposition. Minutes matter.

This episode was reported by Ari Daniel. Read more of Ari's reporting.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message come from Bowling Branch.
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0:15.4	Exclusions apply. See site for details.
0:18.7	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:23.6	Hey, short wavers.
0:24.6	Regina Barber here to tell you about a treasure hunt.
0:28.1	Though not the treasure you may be expecting.
0:30.9	Yeah, almost certainly not.
0:32.6	Ari, Daniel, you're a science reporter, and you're bringing us the story which took
0:36.4	place like a year and a half ago, right?
0:38.3	Yes.
0:39.0	Okay, so set the scene for us.
0:40.8	Right.
0:41.0	Okay.
0:41.3	So that's when this Brazilian neuroscientist I met named Camila Soza gets the call she's been waiting for.
0:47.7	A baby humpback whale is a drift just offshore in the waters off southeastern Brazil.
0:54.2	It's just died.
0:55.5	And she wants its brain.
0:58.7	It's like Alice in Wonderland.
1:01.4	Give me the head.
1:03.1	Oh, no.
	...

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