Inuit and Scientific Studies of the Narwhal: Connecting Parallel Perceptions

NSF

Highlight ID: 14090

The narwhal, with its long protruding tusk, has captivated artists, intrigued explorers and baffled scientists. Now, a team of researchers led by Dr. Martin Nweeia from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine has discovered some capabilities of this extraordinary tooth that are proving to be stranger than its myths and lore.

“The tooth has capabilities of sensing temperature, pressure, particle gradients and motion together as a hydrodynamic sensor,” commented Nweeia. The tusk was previously thought to be an instrument for aggressive interaction among males to establish social hierarchy. The new findings of the tusk as a sensor for its arctic environment open myriad possibilities. Most adult males wield this eight to nine-foot spiraled tusk, which protrudes through their lip, while only some females have them.

The Narwhal Tooth: One of Nature’s Most Perplexing Mysteries

Begun in 2000, Narwhal Tusk Research, fueled by Nweeia’s curiosity and funded in part by the National Science Foundation began as a broad-based, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural investigation to solve one of nature’s most perplexing mysteries. Today, over 60 scientists have joined the effort and share the interest to unlock the secrets within this unique tooth. “Nothing about this tooth makes any sense,” stated Nweeia “It defies almost every known principle in the expression of mammalian teeth. By understanding the narwhal tusk, scientists can refocus attention on the evolutionary adaptation and importance of this sensory organ,” he continued. The scientific study has been endorsed by the International Polar Year Joint Committee in their recent letter to Dr. Nweeia which stated, "The Joint Committee considers that your proposal as submitted includes very strong scientific components and demonstrates a high level of organization and of adherence to the IPY themes and goals."

Among the features that distinguish Nweeia’s study from prior research efforts is the integration of science with traditional knowledge. Dr. Nweeia has collected over 50 interviews on archival digital video and audio files documenting the stories and observations of Inuit elders and hunters from High Arctic communities in northeastern Canada and northwestern Greenland. 

Inuit People Know the Narwhal Best

“These are the people who know the whale and the environment the best,” Nweeia stated. “All the science about this whale can’t match hundreds of years of collected observations on behavior, migration and anatomy.” 

Knowledge from these interviews collected in the past three years has given this work a new dimension of insight and understanding. The recordings have just begun to reveal the significance of collecting such traditional knowledge and using it to direct, support and change the course of scientific studies. One example is the discovery of tusk flexibility which was remarkable from the scientific evaluation of physical and chemical properties. The team, including Dr. Frederick Eichmiller, Dr. Naomi Eidelman and Anthony Giuseppetti from the Paffenbarger Research Center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, described a tooth that was built inside out and had the ability to flex one foot in all directions over an eight foot span. “Elders described this flexibility before the scientific findings were revealed and I thought to myself ‘they must be exaggerating’,” Nweeia recounted with a smile. Other interview comments have influenced and even contradicted scientific results. Dr. Nweeia has provided and encouraged a forum for their observations to be heard. On July 11th, 2006, NSF funding allowed Pavia Nielsen, an elder from Uummannaq in Greenland, to express his observations about narwhal population and migration at the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. His accounts of narwhal population contradicted scientific published accounts. Elder Paniloo Sanguya and hunter David Angnatsiak, both from Pond Inlet in Nunavut, Canada co-presented findings at the Inuit Studies Conference in Paris in October, 2006 with Dr. Nweeia. “Buried in these recordings are over a hundred new observations that we will uncover about the narwhal,” Nweeia noted. His research has touched two sides of a coin that are seldom seen at once. Here, premier scientists can meet Inuit elders and appreciate their insights and observations. “They might not share offices in the same building,” Nweeia says, “but I have them knocking on each other’s door.”

Primary Strategic Outcome Goal:

Discovery: Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the nation as a global leader in fundamental transformational science and engineering.

Secondary Strategic Outcome Goals:

Learning: Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens.

How does this highlight address the strategic outcome goal(s) as described in the NSF Strategic Plan 2006-2011?:

The research advances the frontiers of knowledge through its investigation of the Narwhal tusk structure, previously thought to be a dominance organ, in fact Dr. Nweeia's research point to the tusk as a sensory organ. In addition, by working with Inuit hunters and Elders, Dr. Nweeia has not only advanced scientific knowledge of the Narwhal tusk, his research has created collaborations with Inuit communities, captured the scientific imagination of Inuit youth and expanded scientific literacy among this highly underrepresented group.

Does this highlight represent transformative research?

Yes

The research brings two knowledge systems, science and Inuit knowledge, together in a collaboration to increase our understanding of Narwhal. The research is a model for future scientists to utilized as they seek to better understand our world.

OPP/ARC 2007
Program Officer: Anna Kerttula de Echave NSF Award Numbers:

0630561

Award Title: Inuit and Scientific Studies of the Narwhal: Connecting Parallel Perceptions

PI Name: Institution Name: PE Code:

0701534

Award Title:

PI Name: Institution Name: PE Code:

Martin Nweeia Harvard University 5221

Inuit and Scientific Descriptions of the Narwhal, Connecting Parallel Perceptions: Interdisciplinary Studies of the Narwhal with a Focus on Tusk Function
Martin Nweeia

Harvard University 5221

NSF Contract Numbers:
NSF Investments: International Polar Year (IPY) Related Center or Large Facility:
Submitted on 02/22/2007 by Anna Kerttula