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Singing Dolphins Do Batman

The results of two scientific studies have shown that dolphins are capable of recognizing rhythms and pitch and are able to reproduce them. In order to best demonstrate this ability the scientists chose the epic, Batman theme song and were able to teach a shortened version to the dolphins who reproduced it in response to certain stimuli.

168 comments

  1. meh by B11 · · Score: 4, Funny

    let me know when they can do "free bird."

    --
    insert inflammatory anti-microsoft comment here
    1. Re:meh by BakaHoushi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Free bird? Ha! Dolphins have their own song and dance number. I've seen it myself.

      So long and thanks for all the fish
      So sad that it should come to this
      We tried to warn you all but oh dear... oh dear...
      You might not share our intellect
      Which might explain your disrespect
      For all the natural wonders that grow around you...
      So long so long so long and thanks... for all the fish...

    2. Re:meh by hotdiggitydawg · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Forget "free bird", let me know when they start doing "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish"...

    3. Re:meh by hey! · · Score: 1

      I'd pay real money to hear is a pack of dolphins doing "Smoke on the Water".

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    4. Re:meh by mobby_6kl · · Score: 0, Troll

      Kill 'em all, Adolf, all of 'em! Bottlenose, Northern Rightwhale, Atlantic Spotted, Tucuxi, kill 'em all! Start over, the experiment didn't work! Wash these mammal wastes of flesh and bone off this planet! I pray to you, God, to kill these fucking dolphins!

    5. Re:meh by Phleg · · Score: 1

      Give them a break, that's the encore :)

      --
      No comment.
    6. Re:meh by mikael · · Score: 1

      But then, battalions of RIAA lawyers would come running from all directions demanding royalties from the dolphins.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  2. Incorrect headline by XorNand · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ugh... the blurb is woefully incorrect. The dolphins didn't sing, and they certaintly didn't sing the Batman themesong. They were trained to respond to the rhythm of one long beat, followed by one short beat. It's quite a stretch to equate this to the old "Batmaaaannn!" catchphrase, much less the song. Perhaps the dolphins are instead brushing up on Morse code in preparation for a DX contest?

    --
    Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
    1. Re:Incorrect headline by mr_matticus · · Score: 4, Informative

      To its credit, the summary does say "shortened version" and the headline says they do 'Batman' and not the 'Batman theme song.' As for TFA, they looked at more than the simple short-long sequence--dolphins were tested to recognize rhythmic sequences more complex than this at various pitches and tempos.

    2. Re:Incorrect headline by aussie_a · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh you clearly don't understand the headline. The Dolphins didn't sing the Batman theme song. They did Batman. More specifically, they did Adam West. I hear he quite enjoyed it.

    3. Re:Incorrect headline by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not to mention this isn't really news. The article is from october of last year.

      Here's a more recent article about the same thing. They've moved past just Batman.
      http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-disney dolphin3106may31,0,890126.story

    4. Re:Incorrect headline by digitaldc · · Score: 1

      Perhaps the dolphins are instead brushing up on Morse code in preparation for a DX contest?

      Or, maybe it was the intent of repeatedly playing the 'Batman' theme song would possibly morph them into rabid, underwater killing machines?

      --
      He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
    5. Re:Incorrect headline by Lars+T. · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Hey, I thought you said Troy McClure was dead."
      "No, what I said was: "He sleeps with the fishes".

      --

      Lars T.

      To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

    6. Re:Incorrect headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Ugh... YOU are woefully incorrect. While the dolphin's singing voice may not be as pretty as yours, TFA clearly states that the dolphin did in fact "sing":

      The dolphin spontaneously vocalised to the rhythms, so the researchers started to reward the male with fish whenever it matched its 'singing' to the rhythms.

      By the end of the studies, the scientists could show an object, such as the Batman doll, which represented a certain rhythm-vocalisation combo to the dolphin, and it would create the correct sounds both vocally and using the switch.


      Maybe the phrase 'create the correct sounds vocally' is ambiguous. If the 'correct sounds' consist of a melody and rhythm, we call that singing. No matter how bad it might be.

    7. Re:Incorrect headline by wschalle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Elephants are also capable of distinguishing rhythmic and even melodic patterns. The Thai Elephant Orchestra is a group of elephants who were given musical instruments, and began to play them as a group, copying each other's rhythms, and making use of repeated melodies. http://mulatta.org/Thaielephantorch.html

    8. Re:Incorrect headline by hal2814 · · Score: 1

      I was wondering what they meant by "shortened version." How exactly do you shorten a 4 note song?

    9. Re:Incorrect headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "The dolphin was reinforced for producing a specific rhythm to a specific object," says Harley.
      The dolphin-sex people finally reach their ultimate goal?
    10. Re:Incorrect headline by Liam+Slider · · Score: 1

      Well, you know what they say about musicians...

    11. Re:Incorrect headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Learn to interpret the things that you read. From TFA:

      The dolphin spontaneously vocalised to the rhythms, so the researchers started to reward the male with fish whenever it matched its 'singing' to the rhythms.

      Please mod parent down.

    12. Re:Incorrect headline by citizen6350 · · Score: 1

      Worse than the headline is the image caption:

      "Dolphins are the only mammals other than humans to recognise rhythms and reproduce them vocally (Image: iStockphoto)"

      So I guess birds that can whistle tunes, or 'talk' in the case of parrots, are strictly the result of causality?

      --
      "Sorry Im not more user-friendly."
    13. Re:Incorrect headline by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1
      So I guess birds that can whistle tunes, or 'talk' in the case of parrots, are strictly the result of causality?

      I was going to point out that a singing bird does not recognize rhythm, and would not adjust his singing to match. But then I realized I have no idea what you meant by "the result of causality," so maybe that's what you were already saying.

  3. Birds do this too by Heir+Of+The+Mess · · Score: 5, Funny

    Birds do this too, and elephants, and probable many other animals that you might want to kill time by studying scientifically.

    There's some bloody bird outside my bedroom window that has a natural ability to memorize the latest ringtone on my mobile phone whenever I change it. 6am in the morning I jump out of bed thinking my phone is ringing (I'm waiting on some important calls)

    Reminds me of this poem

    I woke early one morning,
    The earth lay cool and still
    When suddenly a tiny bird
    Perch on my window sill,
    He sang a song so lovely
    So carefree and so gay,
    That slowly all my troubles
    Began to slip away.
    He sang of far off places
    Of laughter and of fun,
    It seemed his very trilling,
    brought up the morning sun.
    I stirred beneath the covers
    Crept slowly out of bed,
    And gently lowered the window
    And crushed his little head.

    I am not a morning person

    --
    Australian running a company that does C# / C++ / Java / SQL / Python / Mathematica
    1. Re:Birds do this too by Scarblac · · Score: 1

      I love it!

      --
      I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
    2. Re:Birds do this too by krotkruton · · Score: 1

      I know this is completely offtopic from the article, but I'm always amazed to see how many different variations of that bird open exist. This is the one I grew up with, short and sweet. A little yellow bird with a little yellow bill sat upon my windowsill. I fed it crumbs and bits of bread and then I crushed its little head.

    3. Re:Birds do this too by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 2, Funny

      There's some bloody bird outside my bedroom window that has a natural ability to memorize the latest ringtone on my mobile phone whenever I change it.

      Make it do the Crazy Frog!

      (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, you're lucky. The horror, the horror...)

      --
      Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    4. Re:Birds do this too by bcmm · · Score: 1

      I heard a variant with several verses, each containing a different rhyming pair of a bait and a manner or death.

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
    5. Re:Birds do this too by ettlz · · Score: 5, Funny
      Make it do the Crazy Frog!

      Shut the fuck up!

    6. Re:Birds do this too by ettlz · · Score: 1

      I used to have a blackbird that would routinely pirch on my television aerial, about five metres from my window. Right show-off. He didn't stop with ring-tones and car-alarms, oh no, he'd nicked a ruddy fax machine and learnt that off by heart as well. I'm sure I he stood up there negotiating PPP connections. With apologies to the Wurzels:

      Where be it Blackbird to?
      I know where he be,
      He be up yon aerial,
      And I be after he!
      Now I sees he, And he sees I,
      Bugger'd if I don't get 'en
      Wit a thousand volts, I'll knock 'im down
      Blackbird, I'll 'ave thee!
    7. Re:Birds do this too by nizo · · Score: 1
      Teach it to say, "here kittykittykittykitty" and the problem will eventually solve itself.


      A friend of mine had a pair of mockingbirds that would sit outside his window and do a nice imitation of a car alarm bright and early in the morning. They were clever little buggers.

    8. Re:Birds do this too by fdiskne1 · · Score: 1

      I have a few owls that frequent my back yard. While they may not be mimicking songs, they each have their own tone and rhythm to their hoots such that I can recognize three different owls out there. I've heard them all at once. Just what I needed, an owl concert to keep me up all night.

      Back when I had a girlfriend living with me, she had a parakeet. She taught this parakeet the Andy Griffith theme song and the Addams Family theme song. They were pretty accurate renditions, too.

      Okay, the article says this is the first time a nonhuman mammal has been shown to do this as opposed to any other animal, but I figure if a bird can do this, surely there are mammals smart enough to do it too. Doesn't seem much like news to me.

      --
      But why is the rum gone?
    9. Re:Birds do this too by KinkoBlast · · Score: 0
      I used to have a blackbird that would routinely pirch on my television aerial ... I'm sure I he stood up there negotiating PPP connections.


      So that's where all those worms came from when I was on dial-up!
    10. Re:Birds do this too by orgelspieler · · Score: 1

      I made the mistake of reading that poem to my wife. She is still crying. damned pregnancy hormones.

  4. Dolphins singing? by Phroggy · · Score: 1

    So... where's the MP3?

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    1. Re:Dolphins singing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in google search for "dolphins batman discovery channel" on the cached page there is a link to the audio.

    2. Re:Dolphins singing? by JRGhaddar · · Score: 1

      It was shut down by the RIAA. The MPAA will be on them right after they finish off the chimps with the typewriters.

    3. Re:Dolphins singing? by JRGhaddar · · Score: 2, Informative

      here is the link to the dolphins doing thei thing. Dolphin's sing "Batmaaaan"...

    4. Re:Dolphins singing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *ahem*
      I believe that should be, "where's the ogg?"

    5. Re:Dolphins singing? by mattcoz · · Score: 0

      beep-beeeeeeep? Where are the dolphins?

  5. Newsflash! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    RIAA sues dolphins for singing copyrighted stuff!

  6. I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Rogerborg · · Score: 0

    So that makes these furry fish, what, about 75% as intelligent as my dog? Also, my dog eats his own poop. What's the current delphinic position on autoscatavoria?

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    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 0, Troll

      "Delphinic" means pertaining to dolphins. Get a dictionary. And dolphins are fish. Just because they smile doesn't mean they don't live in the water.

    2. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 2, Informative

      "Dolphins are highly intelligent aquatic mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin

      Yes, you may be right with regard to "delphinic". But the stupidity involved in regarding dolphins as fish beats my ignorance with regard to the English language.

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    3. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by P(0)(!P(k)+P(k+1)) · · Score: 2, Informative

      Dolphins (not delphins, BTW) [...].

      “Delphin” is actually closer to the original Greek delphin, Latin delphinus; if you had your OED handy, you'd see that it was used right up until the seventeenth century* when “dolphin” took over under the influence of Louis XV.

      _____________
      * 1633 P. FLETCHER Pisc. Ecl. VII. xiii. 47 The lively Delphins dance, and brisly Seales give eare.

    4. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      Yes, I admit that I was too fast on "delphinic" (not doing any research on that), but I was too much aroused by the notion that dolphins are "fish". (English is not my first language, so I should not discuss. I know. Experience, however, leads me to the conclusion that I usually win. This time I failed. Hard luck, but a gain anyway.)

      "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

      Excuses,

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    5. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 0, Troll

      Dolphins are highly intelligent aquatic mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises.

      So they're clever fish then? Still fish.

    6. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mammals aren't fish, regardless of whether they live in the water.

      You, how ever, are most definitely a retard, regardless of your abode.

    7. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Living in the water is what makes them fish.

      And ad hominem attacks are generally seen as a sign of someone unskilled in the art of debate.

    8. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 0, Troll

      Yes, you are a stupid American. Perhaps you are bribed into discovering me as a teereerist, Good luck to you. You will not accomplish anything, you are stupid, and me is certifiedly insane,

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    9. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by micpp · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, living in the water makes them aquatic. They don't have gills or lay eggs.

    10. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just to check if you and the rest of /. are on the same page can you define "fish" for us.

    11. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by rucs_hack · · Score: 1

      so because we can fly in aeroplanes, does that make us birds? Or because we can swim, does that make us fish too?

    12. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      I don't know. Do birds fly in planes? Is that what makes them bords? If so then yes we probably are birds. I don't think they do though. If we had evolved wings then we'd be birds.

      And to clarify, by "live in the sea", I mean "evolved to live in the sea". Since a swimmer is not evolved to live in the sea, nad tpyically lives on the land, they're not fish.

    13. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      I'm not American. Apart from that, I agree on all points:)

    14. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by glarbl_blarbl · · Score: 1
      Doesn't "furry fish" imply that he knows they're mammals? After all, mammals are distinguished by their body hair (among other things). Never seen a fish with peach fuzz.

      I'm just sayin'..

      --
      I use friend/foe to signal strong [dis]agreement instead of mod points. What else are f/f good for?
    15. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      Fish.

      However, rational argument does not apply no more.

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    16. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      And ad hominem attacks are generally seen as a sign of someone unskilled in the art of debate.

      Welcome to the offspring of a lawyer or such, our new overlords.

      They can turn mammals into fish. Now what do you expect they can do with open source?

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    17. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      Yes, butterflies=birds. Smoke along.

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    18. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      I'm not American. Apart from that, I agree on all points:)

      I just missed the ":)" (about to prepare a flame). You beat me, however, I am not in a real good condition. No real insult intended, though. OOps. BTW, just curious like a cat, what nationality?

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    19. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/18/dolphin_sk in/

      I'm just sayin'..

      Do not be shy!

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    20. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by rucs_hack · · Score: 1

      according to the aquatic ape theory that is now gaining acceptance, we did spend a goodly period of our evolution as coast bound amphibians after diverging from the chimpanzees.

      And no, I'm not providing links and exhaustive proof, this is /., google for it.

      also, birds frequently fly in planes, does that make them people?

    21. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      So? That means we're amphibians. Not fish.

      I'm not quite sure why you're asking about what makes birds birds. Humans were around a long time before the plane was invented, and birds aren't fish either and wouldn't be even if they could fly a plane.

    22. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by rucs_hack · · Score: 1

      to be honest I can't even remember what the original question was....

      Although we have established that you've got something against birds.... :-)

    23. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by 91degrees · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      You were trying to get me to narrow down why I claim a dolphin is a fish. Something I'm clearly not going to do because you might find fault with my otherwise impeccible logic:P

    24. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by OBx2 · · Score: 0

      Mmm, Open Sauce

      --
      Das computermachinen ist nicht fur der fingerpoken und mittengraben. Keep das hans in poketz und vatch das blinken leitz
    25. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Brock: [sighs] Yeah, he was just this guy. A guy in a butterfly suit who got in over his head. And I could see it in his eyes that if I let him get away this one time he'd never come back. But, then I also thought, you know, kill him. What kind of way is that to-

      Don Rio: [says stuff]

      Interpreter: One time, I am on the Amazon in my canoe, and I see, swim, the dolphin. Uh, the beautiful dolphin. So I slip out of my canoe and I grab her, this fish, uhh, and then I fuck it. This fish.

      Brock: What the hell's that got to do with anything?!

      Don Rio: [says stuff]

      Interpreter: Hot dolphin!

      Brock: You're an idiot!

      Dr. Orpheus: Don Rio is a transcendent, multi-dimensional genius, Brock. His every word an onion of infinite leaf. His every pearl-

      [Dr. Orpheus throws up in his bucket]

    26. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by camperdave · · Score: 1

      IS that you, Ace Ventura?

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    27. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by rucs_hack · · Score: 1

      ah, well, never try to do anything that might annoy something capable of killing a shark with one prod if its nose, that's the thing...

    28. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by drsquare · · Score: 1

      It swims, it's got fins, it lives in the sea, yeah it's a fish.

    29. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by manno · · Score: 1

      Dolphins are delicious with some mayonnaise and rye bread.

    30. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by dogmatixpsych · · Score: 1

      There are dolphins that are fish though: http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/dolphin.htm l, which is quite confusing. Those dolphins (the fish ones) are obviously not the mammals in the story though.

    31. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by mjm1231 · · Score: 1
      Squirrels can remember 10,000 places they've hidden nuts (they can find them again by memory, not by smell or some other means). If a person can remember 100, does that make them 10% as smart as a squirrel? The point is that there is no such thing as generic intelligence. Intelligence is as diverse among different species as other traits. A lobster claw is much better at opening a clam shell than a bare human hand, but it's pretty useless at screwing the toothpaste cap back on.

      Or, to add a bad car analogy: Saying that a dog is smarter than a dolphin makes about as much sense as saying that a dual core processor is faster than a Porsche.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    32. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Aceticon · · Score: 1

      stupidity involved in regarding dolphins as fish beats my ignorance with regard to the English language


      He meant fishy. As in "There's no way they could teach normal dolphins to sing Batman so there must be something fishy about this ones".

      Saying that dolphins are fish is like saying that bats are birds!
      [Though some birds are actually mammals, but that's a whole different class of birds]
    33. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But I, for one, would welcome our gill-bearing, egg-laying aquatic overlords.

    34. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Andrew+Kismet · · Score: 1

      This is just further proof that the average Slashdotter cannot define anything without resorting to Wikipedia... and I'm guilty of that myself.

    35. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      You know who else doesn't get British humour? Dolphins.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    36. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      Open Sauce

      Which will ultimately end up like "Who are the food police?".

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    37. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by foobsr · · Score: 1

      And no, I'm not providing links and exhaustive proof, this is /., google for it.

      Rather an optimistic assumption regarding capabilities.

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    38. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by rucs_hack · · Score: 1

      My optimism is at a peak, I just got sound working in gentoo linux....

    39. Re:I have a dog that can growl "sausages" by tehcyder · · Score: 1
      It swims, it's got fins, it lives in the sea, yeah it's a fish.
      So if I stick some feathers up my arse and jump out of a plane I'm a bird?
      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  7. Dolphins do Batman by Placebo+Messiah · · Score: 4, Funny

    What a man in a batsuit and a sea creature do together is their business and they can tape it and post it on the internet if they want to

    1. Re:Dolphins do Batman by saboola · · Score: 1

      Was the whole video done in night vision? Could get the dolphin a reality show and a Hardee's commercial. Worked for Paris Hilton.

  8. Obligatory Hitchhiker's Guide Reference... by gbobeck · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, the dolphins can "sing" the Batman theme... I wonder how long it will take before they start "singing" "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish"

    --
    Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
    1. Re:Obligatory Hitchhiker's Guide Reference... by toleraen · · Score: 1

      It better be a looooonnngggg time before they start singing that! I have no desire to stick a paper bag over my head quite yet...

    2. Re:Obligatory Hitchhiker's Guide Reference... by Kjella · · Score: 1

      So, the dolphins can "sing" the Batman theme... I wonder how long it will take before they start "singing" "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish"

      Right after they see the intro to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", I presume.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  9. birdsongs by Goldsmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    Somewhere, an ornithologist read that article and died inside...

    1. Re:birdsongs by Boronx · · Score: 1

      What's really sad is that she'd hoped to be outside when her time came.

    2. Re:birdsongs by Tatarize · · Score: 1

      "I think music is a human construct," he says. "I doubt that it has pertinence to animals..."

      Dude, why does everybody on Slashdot think they know so much more than some dolt they interview for an article. I mean, I have almost never seen an article posted on /. that didn't get an errata. So they guy is completely retarded and a bigoted speciesist. Sure, birds make vocalizations in repeating patterns to attract mates. Sure, whales have low harmonic sounds that seem to serve some purpose. Sure crickets churp and wolves howl... but this isn't music. It doesn't sound anywhere near as good as Brittney Spears or her soon to be ex-husband's loud noises. We are human and music belongs to us!

      --

      It is no longer uncommon to be uncommon.
    3. Re:birdsongs by maeka · · Score: 1
      [birdsongs] Somewhere, an ornithologist read that article and died inside..

      If drastic changes are made to the tempo or pitch of a bird song, would it still be recognized by the bird?
      That is the point of the study. The dolphins recognized the rhythm, regardless of pitch or tempo.
    4. Re:birdsongs by Goldsmith · · Score: 1

      Surely you're joking.

      It's just pretentious, rehashed science, that's all. I have no grand opinion on the nature of music.

  10. Hmmm.. by X-treme-LLama · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one who thinks they should have taught them "So long and thanks for all the fish"?

    1. Re:Hmmm.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    2. Re:Hmmm.. by X-treme-LLama · · Score: 1

      Yeah yeah.. When hit "reply" that wasn't there yet.. Silly dogs needing to go out kept from posting as quick as the other guy :P

  11. That does it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think "Batman XXX" has really jumped the shark with this episode.

    1. Re:That does it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would never happen. Batman has shark repellent in his utility belt!

  12. Jaws theme tune.... by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... assuming flipper has a sense of humour he'll also laugh his head off as the swimmers run screaming up the shore.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  13. It was pure luck by clickclickdrone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thd scientists asked the dolphins about tunes and they thought the question was about tuna so they all signed up.

    --
    I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
    1. Re:It was pure luck by Inda · · Score: 1

      Insightful? Stupid mods, he was trying to be funny.

      --
      This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
  14. Re:screw that! by macadamia_harold · · Score: 4, Funny

    Screw that! you know the next step is to hook these dolphins up to sentry robots armed with machine guns. Yeah, who's laughing now, sharks with frickin laser beams strapped to their heads?

  15. Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This news is from 2005. Even when it was new, it was not that exciting.

    The "shortened version" of the song that they taught to the dolphins consists of two notes. If Moore's Law holds, they should already be up to three note songs by now.

  16. look out! by greentoad · · Score: 1

    I-Tuna is just around the corner..

  17. How about Penguins and Cats? by davidwr · · Score: 1

    I'm just asking.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  18. About dolphins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They are pretty damn smart.

    I've worked with them, and have good friends that have worked with them more than I have.

    A couple of 'cool' facts:

    When you meet someone for the first time, you shake their hand and look them in the eye, right?

    Dolpins 'beam' you with their 'sonar'. They tend to think that people with an implant (pacemaker), screws or pins (from surgery), etc. are 'cooler' because they are different from most humans they meet.

    They can tell if a woman is pregnant, often before she knows herself, and they understand what it means. One friend of mind works with some 'wild' dolphins in the Florida keys. Every once in awhile they'll get a new researcher (female) and a lot of the female dolphins will be very gentle near her, and rub her belly with their noses (i.e. being very affectionate). The 'old hands' from the research team will always tell the new lady that she's pregnant. New lady will always say 'no way'. The dolphins are invariably correct.

    'FYI'. :)

    1. Re:About dolphins by cheese-cube · · Score: 1

      What's the point of karma whoring when you post as an AC?

    2. Re:About dolphins by QuickFox · · Score: 1

      No it wasn't.

      --
      Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
    3. Re:About dolphins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone knows that dolphins sonar people ALL THE TIME!

  19. Soon, they will become more intelligent than us by Rastignac · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new sea overlords. ;)

    --
    -- Rastignac was here.
    1. Re:Soon, they will become more intelligent than us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More intelligent than we. A dolphin would've known that!

  20. So...there as smart as Homer Simpson? by DeQuincey · · Score: 1

    Nuh-nuha, Nuh-nuha, Nuh-nuha, Nuh-nuha, Leader!

  21. Is it just me or... by j.a.mcguire · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Is anyone else picturing a pack of dolphins gang-banging Batman? I mean I've seen Debbie does Dallas

    1. Re:Is it just me or... by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

      i've seen debbie actually doing dallas but i don't know what that has to do with dolphins, except perhaps a lingering fishy smell.

  22. This isn't news.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...without a video.

    Dolphins are animals, so there must be a cute video dammit...

    (I had to click on two(!) links before I figured that this isn't news)

  23. Breathtaking!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If this was commented ONE YEAR AGO...

    Have you seen the date on the TFA? October 2005... Cool :P

    Those dolphins must be rehearsing for some sort of opera right now :P

  24. na na na na... by Datamonstar · · Score: 1

    Na na na na... fishing.. I mean Batman!

    --
    The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
  25. news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    news from Monday, 3 October 2005. At least it's still from this century.

  26. Lyrebird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well we've already acknowledged the blurb is pretty much inconsistent with the linked story so let's just watch something cooler instead... the lyrebird.

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3433507052 114896375

    1. Re:Lyrebird. by hey! · · Score: 1

      That was cool. Thanks for the link, it's going straight into the bookmarks.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  27. Other song options by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

    Surely the theme tune from Flipper would have been more appropriate?

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  28. Batman singing dolphins by Mister+Inbetween · · Score: 1

    This story is from 2005

    1. Re:Batman singing dolphins by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1
      This story is from 2005

      Yes, that sounds about right for the length of time a story spends in Slashdot's story queue.
      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
  29. Re:screw that! by Scott+Swezey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Screw that! Let's hook them up with sonar and lasers.

    --
    Scott Swezey
  30. Stuff dolphins by bananaendian · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Repeat a few tunes from Batman? ha!
    The Lyrebird of Australia is practically a living tape recorder (<= google video)

    --
    www.tribalnetworks.org - helping tribal people around the world to own their own means of high-tech communications
  31. Sick! by mysqlbytes · · Score: 0

    Here was me thinking that batman was into cat woman, but to learn that he sleeps with the fishes , that's just wrong!

  32. Certain stimuli? by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    Oh no, not the electrodes again!

    Dananananaanana ... BATMAN!

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  33. Let me know when... by Hittite+Creosote · · Score: 2, Funny
    Not interested in this.

    However, if they were reporting dolphings jumping backwards through a hoop while whistling the Star-Spangled Banner, then I'd be concerned.

  34. How long would it take by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 1

    to get them to sing "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish" from the Hitchhikers movie?

    1. Re:How long would it take by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... from the Hitchhikers movie? ... Heathen.

  35. Re:screw that! by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    God, I wish I had some mod points to give you. Thanks for the laugh.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  36. Do the Bartman! by VincenzoRomano · · Score: 1

    I would have preferred another song, better suited for dolphins.

    --
    Maybe Computers will never be as intelligent as Humans.
    For sure they won't ever become so stupid. [VR-1988]
  37. What they are really saying is... by Mizled · · Score: 1

    So long, and thanks for all the fish. Duh.

    --
    Bite my shiny metal ass.
  38. ok, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wake me up when singing batman "does" dolphins ..

  39. Anyone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone have this in a downloadable Vorbcast?

  40. Principal Investigator by hey! · · Score: 1

    Is it just me, or does the PI's name sound like a character in a computer game: "Heidi Harley".

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    1. Re:Principal Investigator by techpawn · · Score: 0

      are you sure it wasn't Harley Quinn

      --
      Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
  41. What they need to do is to by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    teach them the theme to "Jaws". Now that would be entertainment!

  42. Perhaps the mellody IS "Batman", but... by salec · · Score: 1

    actually, the dolphins were singing: "Nah-nah-nah-nah nah nah nah fishing. Fishing. Fishing..."

  43. "certain stimuli" by LeedsSideStreets · · Score: 1
    were able to teach a shortened version to the dolphins who reproduced it in response to certain stimuli
    You mean like brandishing a batarang at them?
  44. Oblig... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Soviet Russia, Batman does dolphins!

    (R.I.P. dolphinse.cx)

  45. Sing! You Rotten Fish! by camperdave · · Score: 1

    In order to best demonstrate this ability the scientists chose the epic, Batman theme song and were able to teach a shortened version to the dolphins who reproduced it in response to certain stimuli.

    I don't know why, but this conjures up an image of a dolphin, covered with electrodes, tied to a chair in a dingy room with bad lighting, kind of like Morpheus in the hands of Agent Smith:

    Scientist: "Come on. Sing, you rotten fish. Sing it. Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na BATMAAAN!"
    Dolphin: "[weary dolphin sound]"
    Scientist: "I'm very disappointed" - reaches for button - Zzzapp!
    Dolphin writhes in pain and slumps when the current stops.
    Scientist: "Let's try it again, shall we? Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na BATMAAAN!"

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  46. Batman on the Brain... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...am I the only one who has that stupid Batman song ceaselessly playing inside my head?

  47. Jaws Theme Song by Cigamit · · Score: 1

    I would think it would be more hilarious to teach them the Jaws theme song, but maybe that's just me.

  48. RIAA vs. Dolphins by BMonger · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whoever owns the rights to the Batman song should be filing suit any minute now... take the dolphins for all the tuna they have.

  49. Singing Dolphins Warn of Shark Attacks by C4st13v4n14 · · Score: 0

    Let me know when someone teaches them to do the music in "Jaws".

  50. Amazing! by lukestuts · · Score: 0

    You mean to tell me that an animal that can navigate using sonar can control the pitch of sound? This is groundbreaking science!

  51. well that proves it for me by Broken+scope · · Score: 1

    They are the 2nd smartest beings on the planet. Humans are the 3rd. I'm betting mice are the 1st... we only thing we are testing them, its the other way around.

    --
    You mad
  52. The porpoise sure is a noble animal, Batman. by Rooktoven · · Score: 1

    The one time Batman's batteries went dead...

    --

    Acquiescence leads to obliteration
  53. who paid for this crap... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where does one get a job like this?

  54. can you... by Byteme · · Score: 1

    ...tuna dolphin?

  55. You laugh, but... by FooAtWFU · · Score: 3, Informative
    "Hey, I thought you said Troy McClure was dead."
    "No, what I said was: "He sleeps with the fishes".
    You laugh, but did you hear the one where a woman married a dolphin? (She exhorted people that she's "not a pervert" though, mind you.)

    I also hear of marriages to snakes and dogs.

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    1. Re:You laugh, but... by SamSim · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Dolphins are more intelligent than humans. Why shouldn't they be intelligent enough to give consent to - well, if not marriage, at least sex? It's like on Star Trek when humans marry an aliens, only the physiological differences are greater. Also, you don't share a language. (Hmm, maybe it's more like marrying a Russian mail order bride or something.)

      Yes, it IS freaky, but quite frankly, has anybody asked the dolphin? He may well have an opinion on the subject.

  56. may i be the first to propose: by prmths · · Score: 1

    UNDERSEA IDOL!

  57. WB vs. Disney vs. Fox in the name of science by xPsi · · Score: 1
    From the TFA: Harley, who is associate professor of social sciences at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, says that both studies tested dolphins at Disney's Epcot Center in Florida.


    I guess since Batman is owned by Warner Bros. can we expect the WB v. Disney lawsuit any day now? Or perhaps since the "song" is from the TV series, Fox will sue Disney for using their Batman meme ("Batmaaaaan" -- not even the whole song).

    --
    i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
  58. Re:Perhaps the melody IS "Batman", but... by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

    Or they're asking for food: "Na-na na-na na-na na-na, fish me..."

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  59. I call BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I kept budgerigars for a long time, and have dealt regularly with parrots. I will guarantee you that they recognise even things like a double-click as "Time to get back in the cage" which I regularly used. I did other clicking and whistling combinations for other things like calling them, and they were all differentiated by tone and rhythm.

    Yes, Dolphins are mammalian. Yes, they are aquatic and cool and make for awesome animated movies.

    No, they are not the last word in animal intelligence. Can we stop with the fetishising? Thanks.

  60. JAWS by mnmn · · Score: 3, Funny

    Meh!

    Let me know when they can do the JAWS theme.

    Imagine swimming in Florida waters and just hearing the JAWS theme with fins approaching you...

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
  61. Man this is crazy! by palindromic · · Score: 1

    Whats next, dolphins who can read engrish without laughing?

    Also, did anyone listen to the audio sample? It sounds about as much like the Batman theme song as someone torturing a gaggle of bats.

    1. Re:Man this is crazy! by InfiniteRandomChaos · · Score: 1

      Could you point me to the link. I couldn't find it. Thanks.

  62. I for one by Veilrap · · Score: 1

    I for one welcome our new dolphin musical overlords!

  63. epic ? by smoker2 · · Score: 1
    ... the scientists chose the epic, Batman theme song ...
    What exactly is "epic" about the Batman theme song ? IIRC, it didn't have any words other than "Batman !"

    The Dangermouse theme tune was more epic in the true sense of the word.

  64. Maybe they'll open a Slashdot account: by davidsyes · · Score: 1

    "A.K.A. I AM BATMAN!"

    (INT, WTF!!! lameness filter aborting the line above this one... sheesh....)

    (Captcha: numbed)

    --
    Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
  65. nanana by jagdish · · Score: 1

    Holy tuna fish Batman, they are singing our song.

  66. Coming Soon! by Qoroite · · Score: 1

    Coming soon to an ocean near you! Flipper sings 'Singing in the Rain'

  67. Did anyone else think this was a porno title? by sfeinstein · · Score: 1

    Subject says it all. Depending on your personality, please choose the next comment from:
    A) Where can I get a topic....wakka wakka wakka
    B) Won't somebody PLEASE think about the children?!?!
    C) Something about welcoming our schizophrenic, likes-to-play-dress-up, beastilic-tendency-having overlords?

    --
    "Whether or not you believe me, I'm right" -RWF
  68. ipod stuck in the blow hole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but after you put the ipod in their blow hole how do you get it out to recharge it?