ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Louis Herman

Louis Herman was a very smart scientist who was interested in how dolphins communicate with each other. He wanted to learn about the special sounds that dolphins use to talk and understand each other. He learned that dolphins use clicks and whistles to talk to their friends and family.

He also wanted to teach dolphins how to understand and use human language. To do this, he created a special underwater keyboard that the dolphins could use to communicate with him. The keyboard had different symbols on it that the dolphins could push with their noses to tell him what they wanted or how they were feeling.

Louis spent many years working with the dolphins and teaching them how to use the keyboard. He found that they were really good at it! They could tell him when they wanted food, toys, or even when they were feeling happy or sad.

Through his work with the dolphins, Louis discovered that animals are much smarter than we usually think. He showed that they can learn to communicate with humans, just like we can learn to communicate with them.