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Sperm whales rattle off a series of rapid-fire clicks that researchers have named “codas.” Each coda consists of between three and 40 clicks. In addition to changing the number of clicks they make in quick succession, whales often speed up or slow down the tempo of each coda—researchers call this “rubato.” Sometimes, they add an extra “click” at the end of a coda, which scientists call “ornamentation.”

In the end, the team identified 156 distinct codas, each with its own rubato, ornamentation, tempo and rhythm. On their own, these codas may simply be meaningless sounds. But when combined, they could add up to something akin to syllables, words or even sentences.

“We’re now starting to find the first building blocks of whale language,” says study co-author David Gruber, a marine biologist and the founder of Project CETI, to the Associated Press’ Maria Cheng.

With over 100 active wildfires burning in Canada, wildfire smoke has drifted across the border into the United States, prompting Minnesota officials to issue the state’s first air quality alert of 2024.

At least 37 of the 141 active fires burning in Canadian wildfires have been labeled “out of control,” including one that started on Friday in British Columbia and has since spread to 4,200 acres, forcing the evacuation of the small town of Fort Nelson, and the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve, officials said.

Most of the active wildfires, at least 90, are in British Columbia and Alberta provinces.