Episode 26 – How do we know whales are mammals?

How old were you when you found out whales were mammals? It feels like an obvious fact now, but did you ever wonder who first decided to put these fish-like titans of the ocean in the same group as mice and foxes? In this episode, Brandon Gertz follows the story of how whales became mammals, from the birth of natural history over 2,000 years ago to modern genetics.

 

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Episode Host

Nora Ives head shot

Brandon Gertz

Brandon is the Communications Lead for the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) and a graduate of the Duke Marine Lab. His work focuses on connecting the work that scientists do in the deep sea to both policymakers and the public. In his spare time, Brandon enjoys putting together pieces like this podcast that highlight some of the surprising stories in ocean science.

Twitter: @BrandonGertz1