Whales Surprised Physicists

• 28.08.2026, 20:53

These mammals challenge Einstein's theory.

American oceanographers from Stanford University have explained an anomalous physical effect in which blue whale sound signals were recorded by hydrophones at a speed faster than the official speed of sound in water. Physicists have proven that this apparent violation of Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity is a large-scale acoustic illusion created by the geometry of the ocean floor and the specific nature of low-frequency wave propagation. This was reported by "Hi-Tech" with reference to [IFLScience].

Researchers analyzed recordings from deep-sea microphones installed on an underwater slope in Monterey Bay. The sensors recorded a series of powerful vocalizations from blue whales that were traveling between the receivers at a speed exceeding 1,500 meters per second.

Such speeds are theoretically impossible for a sound wave in an aquatic environment. This fact prompted the scientists to model the movement of the sound pulses in detail.

It turned out that the hydrophones were not picking up a direct wave, but rather a complex superposition of sounds. The whale’s song was reflected off the steep, rocky bottom of the canyon at a certain angle, causing the wavefront to become distorted.

As a result, the reflected echo signal reached the second sensor almost simultaneously with the first. This created a false mathematical impression for the recording equipment that the sound source was moving at supersonic speed.

The physical phenomenon turned out to be analogous to the well-known optical illusion of a laser beam moving faster than light along a wall. The whale itself was swimming at its normal speed, while the sound waves propagated in strict accordance with Einstein’s equations. The new calculations will help scientists more accurately determine the actual coordinates and migration routes of marine mammals based on recordings from deep-sea acoustic stations.