whales & Aliens: SETI in the Salish Sea

Living next to the Salish Sea, I am neighbors with whales whose complex communication, family structures, and cultures raise the same core questions that drive SETI: how meaning, intent, and intelligence reveal themselves. The podcast emerged from the realization that SETI is not only about distant stars, but also about learning how to listen properly here on Earth.  What makes Whales & Aliens truly special are the remarkable group of people I had the privilege of interviewing, creative thinkers who are each reshaping how we understand intelligence. Whales and Aliens is made possible with the support from TELUS STORYHIVE and is available for free on TELUS Optic TV and on YouTube (June 2026). 

Astrophysicist Dr. Laurance Doyle applies information theory to connect the study of the cosmos with animal communication on Earth. By analyzing the mathematical patterns found in humpback whale songs and dolphin whistles, Doyle investigates whether shared principles of structured signaling underlie all forms of intelligence, including extraterrestrial ones. Using tools such as Zipf’s Law, he shows that complex communication systems follow non‑random statistical rules that distinguish meaningful signals from noise. Through this work, Doyle frames intelligence and consciousness not as human anomalies, but as expressions of fundamental organizing principles in the universe.

Jared Towers brings his deep experience in killer whale research to a conversation that spans technology, behavior, and the nature of intelligence itself. Jared speaks to the evolution of photo‑identification and the growing role of AI in tracking orca populations, then moves into broader reflections on animal consciousness, culture, and the striking convergent evolution shared by humans and cetaceans. He discusses extraordinary examples of interspecific food sharing, interactive acoustic playbacks, and the ways these encounters challenge rigid scientific frameworks. Throughout the episode, Jared advocates for a more relational understanding of marine life—one that recognizes whale societies as autonomous nations and treats their communication as a window into universal principles of intelligence. 

Dr.  Deborah Giles, a conservation biologist dedicated to the survival of the Southern Resident killer whales, details her innovative, non-invasive research methods, which primarily involve using scent-detection dogs and drones to collect fecal and breath samples for DNA, hormone, and toxicant analysis. These biological markers reveal a population in crisis, suffering from a critical lack of prey, specifically Chinook salmon, which forces the whales to metabolize fat stores and release stored toxins into their systems. She highlights the complex social structures and unique dialects of these endangered orcas while calling for urgent fisheries management reform to ensure their recovery. 

Join Paleontologist Pat Trask in a conversation about what Earth’s deep past can teach us about its future. He traces how the fossil record reveals patterns of extinction, resilience, and long‑term environmental change, contrasting the slow pace of ancient evolution with today’s rapidly accelerating climate pressures. Pat shares the story of how an Elasmosaur discovery on Vancouver Island launched his career, describes why British Columbia’s geology offers such vivid windows into ancient marine worlds, and highlights the collaborative, community‑driven nature of paleontology. Through fossil tours, hands‑on discovery, and tools like index fossils, he shows how engaging directly with deep time helps people gain perspective on the future we’re shaping. 

Hereditary chief and artist Randy Cook (Makula) shares how his creative practice is inextricably linked to his Kwakwaka’wakw identity and the ancestral wisdom of his grandparents. He describes his artistic process as a form of spiritual channeling, where he acts as a vessel for stories that transcend the boundary between the traditional and the contemporary. Central to his mission is the concept of environmental regeneration, as he advocates for a shift from extraction toward stewardship and the protection of ancient root gardens. By passing these cultural responsibilities to his children and collaborating with scientists, Cook seeks to use art as a map for future generations to reclaim their connection to the earth and foster collective healing. 

Dr. Shandin Pete joins the conversation for a reflective dialogue on the power of storytelling. Pete traces his own journey from a  youth to an adult deeply grounded in the understanding that landscapes, star patterns, and language itself function as living records, particularly within the Salish world of the Flathead Indian Reservation. He  weaves together Western scientific practice and Indigenous ways of knowing, showing how ancestral narratives provide essential orientation points for the human mind. Throughout the discussion, Pete reflects on how oral tradition, place‑based knowledge, and communal responsibility once held societies together, and how modern convenience and capitalism have contributed to social fragmentation and cultural amnesia. He calls for a return to story telling and shared sacrifice as a means of restoring cohesion, meaning, and ancestral wisdom in an increasingly disconnected world. 

Psychologist and Astrobiologist, Dr. Douglas Vakoch, traces his journey from the SETI Institute to founding METI International, an organization dedicated to sending messages outward. Vakoch explains why humanity should move beyond simple mathematical transmissions and begin sharing richer cultural expressions, such as music, encoded into radio frequencies. He draws compelling parallels between whale song and potential extraterrestrial communication, arguing that learning to decode non‑human intelligence on Earth is essential preparation for any future cosmic dialogue. Throughout the conversation, he outlines a vision for a universal protocol of interstellar exchange that reflects the full diversity, creativity, and complexity of life. 

Artist and humpback whale researcher Tasli Shaw explores the connection between humpback whale research and the broader search for extraterrestrial intelligence. As lead investigator of the Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea project, Shaw describes the recent recolonization of local waters by humpbacks and the critical role of community‑driven photo‑identification in tracing maternal lineages and long‑term population recovery. She details the rigor of population databases as well as more intimate moments of interspecies encounters, including the rare eye contact that challenged her assumptions about intelligence and awareness. She highlights mounting impacts from vessel traffic and fishing, while calling for renewed humility toward the sentient life already thriving in our shared coastal environments.