Researchers are using hydrophones, drone recordings, and artificial intelligence to better understand the complex communication of whales to aid in their protection from noise pollution and climate change. ^[1] Canadian authorities banned shipping in specific beluga gathering sites in 2018 to protect the weak signals of young whales. ^[2] Researcher Valeria Vergara discovered that beluga calves learn to communicate from adults over years, initially playing with sounds similar to human toddlers. ^[3] Young beluga whales have a unique acoustic signature, but their calls have a range 18 times shorter than adult calls, making them vulnerable to being lost due to ship noise. ^[4] Researchers have been studying whale communication since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949. ^[5] Scientists are currently decoding the intricate patterns that make different species' vocalizations distinctive as technology improves. ^[6] The goal of understanding whale song is to help protect whales from human-made harms. ^[7] Journalist Emma Bryce has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song. ^[8]