WINTER 2019 • POPSCI.COM 52no.
1The Loneliest Whale
When the U.S. Navy gave scientists access to a
network of hydrophones built in the 1950s to
eavesdrop on Soviet subs, researchers discovered
a surprising song. It followed a beat (and migratory
path) reminiscent of a blue or fin whale. But while
those species bellow at pitches of about 15 to 25 Hz,
the new notes hit 52 Hz—only about as low as a
tuba can manage. William Watkins, the marine
mammal researcher who discovered the singular
singer and listened to it for 12 years, died in 2004.
But the search picked up again when sensors heard
a similar call in 2010. Was this the original swim-
mer, or a sign that Watkins’ musical mutant wasn’t
so lonely after all? Researchers remain stumped.P
ings. Buzzes.
Rumbles. Booms.
Hums. Bumps in the
night. Sounds of unknown
ori gin can be more than
unsettling; they can inspire
decades of mythos and
fear—and obsessive scien-
tific inquiry. Some cases of
enigmatic noise are now
closed, like the southern
Pacific “bloops” detected
by National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administra-
tion hydrophones in 1997
and finally, in 2005, tied to
Antarctic icequakes. But
other cacophonous culprits
remain at large. From jar-
ring radio broadcasts to
harmonious dunes, here
are some of the world’s
great sonic mysteries.
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