Learning from Whales
Duke University Bass Connections
We are a team of Duke University students, staff, and faculty who are striving to understand how marine mammals tolerate hypoxia – the lack of oxygen – by studying their cellular, molecular, and genetic adaptations, as well as their behaviors. We seek to apply research findings to a clinical setting for human health research.
Why Whales?
Like humans, whales are mammals — however, unlike humans, whales are able to tolerate the challenging conditions found at extreme ocean depths, like low oxygen and high pressure. This makes whales an incredibly useful model of study for elucidating the mechanisms underlying tolerance to these extremes.
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As the deepest diving whale (up to ~3000m for over 2 hours!), studying goose-beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) provides unparalleled insight into the unique adaptations that make deep diving possible. Through this, we can obtain more understanding on the ecology of this elusive species as well as advance clinical therapies for hypoxia.
Research Areas
Questions that Drive Us
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What cellular and molecular adaptations, particularly in cell metabolism, do deep-diving marine mammals, especially goose-beaked whales, have that allow them to dive and live in hypoxic conditions for a prolonged period of time?
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What behavioral adaptations of goose-beaked and pilot whales prepare them for deep dives?
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How do acute and chronic stress affect marine mammals and their ability to deep dive on a cellular level?
Why this Research Matters
Studying whales may be key to understanding hypoxia tolerance, and its applications span various fields.
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​Through the combination of wet-lab research and computational analysis, we strive to understand the molecular and behavioral mechanisms by which certain marine mammals tolerate hypoxia and link these molecular adaptations to human health interventions, conservation strategies, and marine mammal evolution.
Clinical/Therapies: Identifying the adaptations that enable whales to tolerate low-oxygen conditions may inform the development of medical therapies that address hypoxia during surgery or cancer therapy. This work may also inform how humans could be made to tolerate low-oxygen conditions, such as during deep space travel.
Conservation: Examining how stress influences cellular metabolism in whales, and ultimately, their dive behavior, is essential for informing conservation strategies and mitigating the impacts of anthropogenic stressors.
Evolution: Analyzing how marine mammal populations vary in their adaptations to hypoxia and how these genetic adaptations arose over time provides insight into the evolution of these organisms.
About Bass Connections
Bass Connections is a multidisciplinary research program at Duke University that bridges the classroom and the world beyond the university, giving students from all of Duke’s schools a chance to tackle complex societal problems alongside our superb faculty. Bass Connections projects support research teams that draw on perspectives and methods from multiple disciplines, as well as robust engagement with communities, stakeholders and decision-makers.
