On Earth Day, Scientific American sits down with National Geographic underwater photographer Brian Skerry to talk about free diving with whales and filming the giant mammals within five meters or less.
“We have to get within a few meters of our subject to get good pictures,” Skerry says. “I can't use a 1,000-millimeter lens underwater. Also, the sun has to ... Show More
May 2024
Obsessed with the Quest: Humpback Heat Run
Underwater cameraman Roger Munns set himself and his team an incredible challenge. In 2008, they visited Tonga to film the biggest courtship ritual of the animal kingdom, the humpback heat run, for the very first time underwater and up close. In the first few days, Roger had inti ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 2021
Episode 27: “Secrets of the Whales” Part 2 with Executive Producer, Writer and Director Brian Armstrong & Composer Raphaelle Thibault
Executive producer/writer/director Brian Armstrong explains the challenges of directing the “stars” of National Geographic’s documentary series “Secrets of the Whales,” streaming now on Disney+ During three years of filming, Armstrong and his crew had to be prepared for almost a ... Show More
33m 7s
Jul 2023
Tom Mustill, "How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication" (Grand Central Publishing, 2022)
What if animals and humans could speak to one another? Tom Mustill—the nature documentarian who went viral when a thirty‑ton humpback whale breached onto his kayak—asks this question in his thrilling investigation into whale science and animal communication.
“When a whale is in t ... Show More
53m 45s
Apr 2023
Where are the whales? Scientists find clues thousands of miles away
Endangered North Atlantic right whales are disappearing from their native waters, a serious danger for a species with only 340 animals left. The mystery behind this change took NPR's climate reporter Lauren Sommer 2,000 miles away to the world's second-largest ice sheet, sitting ... Show More
12m 27s