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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Tool Time"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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READER SCRIPT
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"TOOL"-ING AROUND... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. IN THE HUMAN WORLD, "SPONGING" CAN MEAN, "LIVING OFF SOMEONE ELSE". BUT, AMONGST ONE SMALL GROUP OF DOLPHINS, "SPONGING" TAKES ON A DIFFERENT CONNOTATION: INGENIOUS, INDUSTRIOUS, AND INDIVIDUALISTIC. A FEW-DOZEN BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS THAT LIVE IN SHARK BAY, OFF THE COAST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, USE MARINE SPONGES ON THEIR BEAKS AS TOOLS, TO FIND FOOD. THE DISCOVERY IS THE RESULT OF NEARLY 20 YEARS OF DATA-GATHERING--AND IS THE FIRST AND ONLY CLEAR CASE OF TOOL-USE IN A WILD DOLPHIN OR WHALE. IT'S BEEN DOCUMENTED BY A RESEARCH TEAM LED BY PROFESSOR JANET MANN OF GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY. BASICALLY, IN SHARK BAY, THE RESEARCH TEAM FOUND THAT YOU'VE GOT BOTH YOUR "SPONGERS" AND YOUR "NON-SPONGERS": THE "NON-SPONGERS" AREN'T INTERESTED IN A TOOL; INSTEAD, THEY FORAGE THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY--NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE, OR SEAFLOOR. THE "SPONGERS"--WHO HAVE CLEVERLY DISCOVERED A USEFUL TOOL FOR THE JOB--ARE WORKAHOLICS; THESE MOSTLY FEMALE FORAGERS ARE FOCUSED, DRIVEN, AND PRODUCTIVE--SPENDING LESS TIME SOCIALIZING, AND MORE ON HUNTING AND DIVING. THE TOOL-USERS ARE ALSO ABLE TO BALANCE WORKING WITH MOTHERHOOD--HAVING JUST AS MANY CALVES AS THE OTHERS. A DOLPHIN USING A SIMPLE SPONGE CAN UNCOVER COMPLEX ASPECTS OF WORK, PARENTING, AND SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. YOU MIGHT SAY THAT THESE RESOURCEFUL MARINE MAMMALS HAVE FOUND THE RIGHT TOOL, FOR THE RIGHT JOB. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
