Susan Parks, professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in a Scientific American article titled, "Humpback Whales Are Blowing ‘Bubble Rings’ at Boats. Are They Trying to Communicate?"

The article highlights a study which examined the possible significance of humpback whales producing doughnut-shaped ring bubbles, a behavior that adds to their known use of bubbles in courtship and hunting. Researchers suggest these rings may indicate complex, possibly playful behavior or curiosity toward humans, as most of the recorded instances involved whales approaching observers before creating the rings.

“It’s a really fun paper,” Parks said in the article. “It reads like a detective story that’s trying to piece together information about something that’s not widely studied and happens rarely.”