AUDIO: SCIENTISTS TEACH SEALS TO SING STAR WARS THEME
Three gray seals have been trained to sing the Star Wars theme and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Vincent Janik and colleagues at the University of St. Andrews in the UK worked with the seals from birth (* That’s a little young to be messing around with seals, isn’t it?), training them to copy new sounds. The seals were first trained to copy sequences of their own sounds, and then create melodies in their pitch. Human vowel sounds were later presented to the animals, which they then copied. Janik says once they get the idea they can copy a new sound pretty well at the first attempt. One seal, named Zola, was particularly good at copying melodies played to her, including “Star Wars” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.
* Research grant well spent, gentlemen!
* Soon to be featured on an episode of “The Atlantic Ocean’s Got Talent”.
* Now if they can teach a seal to sing, why can’t they teach Lana Del Rey? Give her a fish or something.
* Can they teach the singing seal to sing like Seal the singer?
* The seal’s thinking, “Can’t I go back to horn blowing? It’s so much easier.”
* And here comes the Star Wars Theme Cease And Desist order from Disney in three … two … one …
CLIP: The seal sings “Star Wars” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. First, a synth, then the seal.
