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David Gruber

Chronological feed of everything captured from David Gruber.

podcast_episode / 1d ago

Futurology: What Whales Can Teach Us About Talking to Aliens (With David Gruber and Claire Webb)

<p>We’ve spent decades beaming radio waves into space listening for an answer. But it might be enough to start here on Earth, or more accurately, under the seas. Sperm whales live in complex clans and communicate in rapid-fire clicks. Even if we could decode their messages, is it safe to assume they want to talk to us? What, exactly, would we have to say to them?</p> <p>The Cetacean Translation Initiative – CETI for whales not SETI for E.T. – is considering the implications of AI translation tools for the ocean’s depths. In this episode of Futurology, CETI Fou...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

Thanalysis: #87 David Gruber - One Call, That's All!

<p>David Gruber of Gruber Law Office's in Milwaukee is AN ICON! Mr. One Call That's All sits down with Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Tony Cartagena for an episode of Thanalysis that you won't forget. What was his first impression of Giannis Antetokounmpo? Did you know David Gruber was a STAR athlete in college? Gruber Law Office's Thanalysis is also presented by Potawatomi Casino Hotel, and McDonald's.</p>

podcast_episode / 1d ago

Planet Visionaries – SEASON 5: Planet Visionaries – Ep 7: Speaking Whale - with Dr. David Gruber

<p>In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets marine biologist, explorer and Project CETI founder David Gruber - a scientist pushing the boundaries of how humans understand the natural world. From discovering the first biofluorescent sea turtle to pioneering soft robotics that allow us to study ocean life without harm, Gruber has dedicated his career to trying to see Earth through the eyes of other species. Now, with Project CETI, he and a team of interdisciplinary researchers are attempting something once thought impossible: translating the ...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

The Steve Gruber Show: The Steve Gruber Show | The Psyop Exposed: Climate Lies, ICE Chaos, and Global Meddling

<p>The Steve Gruber Show | The Psyop Exposed: Climate Lies, ICE Chaos, and Global Meddling</p> <p>---</p> <p>00:00 - Hour 1 Monologue</p> <p>16:18 – Dr. Michael Hutchison, inventor of the NeuroGuard+. Dr. Hutchison explains how this innovative mouth guard reduces the risk of concussion by more than 99 percent, with results tested and certified by Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He discusses why concussions remain one of the biggest concerns in sports and how NeuroGuard+ could be a game changer for athletes at every level. Visit neuroguardplus.com.</p> <p>19:00 – Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

The Steve Gruber Show: The Steve Gruber Show | Justice on the Line: Epstein Files, Border Chaos & Midterm Consequences

<p>The Steve Gruber Show | Justice on the Line: Epstein Files, Border Chaos & Midterm Consequences</p> <p>---</p> <p>00:00 - Monologue</p> <p>19:02 – Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute. Isaac explains why achieving American energy dominance will require a renewed commitment to nuclear power. He discusses how nuclear energy fits into long-term reliability, affordability, and national security goals.</p> <p>28:00 – Rob Rene, Founder of QE Strong. Rene breaks down the science behind red light therapy and addresses whether it’s a scam or a legitimate health tool. He explains the potential benefits and how listeners can learn more a...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

The Steve Gruber Show: The Steve Gruber Show | Free Speech, Free For All Friday

<p>The Steve Gruber Show | Free Speech, Free For All Friday </p> <p>---</p> <p>00:00 - Monologue</p> <p>28:05 – Jeff Hooks, President and CEO of VNI. Hooks explains the importance of taking the right vitamins daily and why VNI focuses on products backed by clinical research. With just six science-driven supplements, VNI aims to deliver targeted nutrition designed to support overall health and long-term wellness. Visit VNI.Life/gruber to learn more.</p> <p>38:17 - Monologue</p> <p>47:15 – Dr. David Maimon, known as the “Undercover Professor” and Head of Fraud Insight at Sentilink. Maimon discusses President Trump’s newly declared “W...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

1988 Topps: Kelly Gruber (#113)

<p>This tough Texan was a two-time MLB All-Star, but will forever be a Superstar. </p><p>Card 113 on Beckett - https://marketplace.beckett.com/cardgallery_900/item/1988-topps-113-kelly-gruber_31263128</p><p>SABR Bio by Mark Davis - https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/kelly-gruber/ </p><p>Inside the Fog Home Run - https://youtu.be/zNANPZgcZGc?si=1gbwYaLVa7ay9A-G</p><p>Kelly with the First Blue Jays Cycle - https://youtu.be/_sgfrVqQ4EQ?si=PAO3kHtiyA6tJRZG</p><p>Kelly on Superstars - https://mopupduty.com/blast-from-the-past-kelly-gruber/</p><p>Kids in the Hall reference Kelly - https://www.youtube.c...

podcast_episode / 1d ago

The Steve Gruber Show: The Steve Gruber Show | Protests, Power, and the Shutdown Crisis

<p>The Steve Gruber Show | Protests, Power, and the Shutdown Crisis </p> <p>---</p> <p>00:00 - Monologue</p> <p>18:53 – Ali Safavi, member of Iran’s Parliament in Exile and President of Near East Policy Research. Safavi discusses escalating tensions inside Iran, including reports of the regime executing political prisoners tied to opposition groups. He explains what these actions signal about instability within the country.</p> <p>27:46 – Nick Hopwood, Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Peak Wealth Management. In this week’s No Lazy Money segment, Hopwood covers market volatility, a recent downturn heading into the end of Q1, and why a 10...

article / 1d ago

News & Insights - Project CETI

David Gruber & the CETI Team · Welcome to CETI's new website! May 9, 2023. Over the past year, the CETI team leaders and researchers took great strides towards ...

article / 1d ago

Project CETI •-- Dominica

David Gruber standing with group of fellows. Outreach. Empower storytellers with the tools necessary to advocate for marine life, at both the community and ...

paper / 1d ago

Predicting mesoscale movement of sperm whale units in the Caribbean based on social dynamics

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) navigate complex oceanic environments and social structures. In the waters off Dominica, female and juvenile whales form long-lasting social units and vocal clans, distinguished by unique click dialects known as codas. While prey availability is often seen as a driver of whale movements, we highlight the role of sociality in shaping spatial behavior. Using 20 years of photo-identification data, we examined the sequential presence of social units for predictable patterns linked to social structure. Applying long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks to sequences of one to five days across 16 states including 14 units, mature males and unknown units, we achieved prediction accuracies over 60%, far exceeding random chance (0.00001526). We then compared unit-to-unit transition probabilities to their social association matrix using a Hemelrijk test, revealing strong alignment between movement and social bonds for some of the units. To support long-term monitoring, we developed an acoustic classification method based on inter-pulse intervals (IPIs) in echolocation clicks, serving as acoustic fingerprints linked to body size. Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) classified units with 78.26% accuracy. Our findings provide quantitative evidence that sperm whale movements are socially coordinated and predictable, offering new insights into the spatial and social dynamics of sperm whale societies and highlighting the role of social affiliation in shaping large-scale movement patterns.

paper / 1d ago

An open-source bio-logger for studying cetacean behavior and communication

Over the past decade, bioacoustics associated with diverse marine life has become the focus of increasing research. While fixed acoustic devices play important roles in characterizing localized soundscapes, animal-worn devices that record audio alongside physiological metrics provide richer portals to understanding cetacean communication and characterizing sounds in their environment. To facilitate scaling the collection of such multimodal datasets for deep learning applications and to encourage rapid prototyping for new recording capabilities, we present an open-source non-invasive bio-logger that can be deployed on marine animals to record high-quality audio synchronized with an extensible suite of behavioral and environmental sensors. The current implementation is tailored to investigating sperm whale communication and biology. It features four suction cups, three high-bandwidth synchronized hydrophones for audio analysis including directionality, GPS logging and transmission, and sensors for pressure, motion, orientation, temperature, and light. Its hardware and software are both open-source, with designs, fabrication details, and code available online. Lab-based experiments characterize and validate performance including shear adhesion forces, withstanding pressures equivalent to 560 m depths, battery life up to 16.8 hours, audio sensitivity of –205 dB re FS/μPa with a 96 dB dynamic range, multi-threaded data acquisition, drone-based deployments, and GPS-based recoveries. Field experiments record sperm whale vocalizations and behaviors spanning 10 deployments, 44 hours of recording, 20 dives, and up to 967 m depths. Altogether, this platform aims to advance the understanding of marine animal biology and communication within the rapidly evolving and intersecting areas of robotics, bioacoustics, and machine learning.

paper / 1d ago

Drone-based application of whale tags: A “tap-and-go” approach for scientific animal-borne investigations

Deploying animal-borne suction-based tag devices on whales has been one of the primary tools used by researchers over the past several decades to gather high-resolution scientific information, such as bioacoustics, heart rate, dive depth, and body orientation. However, the process of successfully applying animal-borne tags is logistically challenging and requires substantial operator skill. Current methods apply tags by approaching the whale in a boat and adhering the tag via a long extension pole. In this study, we explore an alternative approach to apply animal-borne suction-based tag devices using First Person View (FPV) racing drones. These drones have been specifically adapted to withstand exposure to seawater, allowing them to operate effectively in marine environments. The drones are equipped with a custom interface, allowing to release the tag when it is applied on the whale’s back. In this study, we present the development of the delivery drone as well as tag deployment techniques. The proposed method was demonstrated on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Dominica, resulting in fast deployment time (one minute and fifteen seconds on average) and a relatively high deployment success rate (over 55 %). In addition, the presented deployment process offers a less invasive technique for tagging, as boats are not needed for close approaches. These methods also serve as a framework to enable future development of more automated solutions to apply the tag on exact anatomical targets with controlled initial adhesion pressure and without manual operation.

paper / 1d ago

WhAM: Towards A Translative Model of Sperm Whale Vocalization

Sperm whales communicate in short sequences of clicks known as codas. We present WhAM (Whale Acoustics Model), the first transformer-based model capable of generating synthetic sperm whale codas from any audio prompt. WhAM is built by finetuning VampNet, a masked acoustic token model pretrained on musical audio, using 10k coda recordings collected over the past two decades. Through iterative masked token prediction, WhAM generates high-fidelity synthetic codas that preserve key acoustic features of the source recordings. We evaluate WhAM's synthetic codas using Fr\'echet Audio Distance and through perceptual studies with expert marine biologists. On downstream classification tasks including rhythm, social unit, and vowel classification, WhAM's learned representations achieve strong performance, despite being trained for generation rather than classification. Our code is available at https://github.com/Project-CETI/wham

paper / 1d ago

Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity

We quantitatively document a sperm whale birth event, revealing collective support behaviors across kinship lines. Using high-resolution drone footage, computer vision, and multiscale network analysis, we studied the interactions within a Caribbean sperm whale unit comprising two matrilines. Our results suggest that a female family member led birth assistance and that after delivery, all individuals oriented toward and helped lift the newborn, taking turns in a coordinated, cross-kin effort. Despite historically observed foraging segregation, kinship barriers dissolved as all unit members contributed. These analyses provide evidence of birth attendance, or assistance, in a nonprimate species, a behavior long considered characteristic only of humans and their close relatives.

paper / 1d ago

Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events

Wild cetacean birth observations are extremely rare, with observations having been recorded in less than 10% of cetacean species. Here, we describe a detailed accounting of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) birth off the coast of Dominica within a well-documented social unit and consisted of sperm whales collaboratively lifting the newborn out of the water. We recorded data via multiple concurrent methods: underwater audio, aerial drone video, shipboard photography in addition to behavioral observations spanning before, during and after the whale birth. All 11 members from sperm whale “Unit A” were present and participated in the birth, which lasted 34 min from the time the flukes emerged until the completion of delivery. The sperm whale unit made extensive vocalizations, with statistically significant shifts in coda vocal style corresponding to key events, such as the beginning of the birth and interactions with short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) shortly after the birth event. An evolutionary analysis of wild cetacean births suggests that newborns being lifted out of the water dates to before the most recent common ancestor of toothed and baleen whales, > 36 million years ago, and that cooperative lifting of the newborn is noted, thus far, only in members of Odontoceti (toothed whales). This study provides the most in-depth observations of a wild cetacean birth. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-27438-3.