The podcast episodes explore how human-caused noise pollution in the oceans, such as from ship traffic, overlaps with the low-frequency vocalizations and communication of whales like humpbacks. Episode 7591 discusses how the melodies of humpback whales unfortunately overlap with ship noise, potentially interfering with their vital communication. Similarly, Episode 6004 explains how the specialized laryngeal adaptation of baleen whales that allows them to produce their iconic low-frequency calls also restricts them to communicating at the same frequencies as disruptive human noise pollution, which they cannot rapidly evolve to avoid.

The episodes highlight how this issue of ocean noise pollution poses a serious threat to whales and other marine life, potentially leading to mass strandings and other disruptions to their natural behaviors and communication.