Whales can sing undersea without drowning– now we understand how
Researchers have long questioned how baleen whales can sing while holding their breath. That's since a whale's throat both makes noise and blocks their air passage so they do not drown. Attempt closing your mouth, holding your nose, and attempting to hum-- it will not work."If you can't let the air circulation, the system is pressurized. When it's pressurized, and circulation stops, sound stops," states Joy Reidenberg, a teacher at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City who studies whale anatomy.An illustration of a humpback whale reveals its pink, u-shaped throat.Painting by Patricia Jaqueline MaticProfessionals currently understood that whales have an unique throat with a bagpipe-like sac that allows them to sing, however they didn't understand precisely howthey produce...