Beyond his work in space exploration and human performance, Dr. Schmidt has been supporting cetacean research in the wild. This work has included active investigations in the field, primarily with orcas, humpback whales, and dolphins. Some of the work has been for the study of how cetaceans use sound to communicate and the manner in which humans may use sound to better understand this communication.
This has included film work with cinematographers DJ Roller and Vince Pace, former directors of photography for James Cameron in movies such as The Titanic, The Abyss, and Avatar. Dr. Schmidt has served as Scientific Director on such research expeditions.
There are two domains where Dr. Schmidt’s training in molecular medicine, biochemistry, and neuroscience applied to spaceflight and human performance also aligns with this cetacean research.
First, in the analysis of biological specimens collected from cetaceans in the field, Dr. Schmidt is able to apply the tools of molecular analytics, molecular feature identification, molecular pathway analysis, and the description of biological meaning. These can provide insight into the molecular underpinnings of cetacean biology and health.
Second, though his work as a neuroscientist is focused on humans, he has also been supporting expeditions in working to understand the neurobiology of orca, whale, and dolphin behavior and communication.
My Encounter with “Ghost Dolphins” with National Geographic
In 2018, my friend Wade Henrichs, an emergency physician, and I were on an expedition with National Geographic leaving the Panama Canal late at night. We were on a ship named the Quest, bearing on a westbound heading on a crystal-clear evening in March. The Milky Way Galaxy was our constant guide ahead, while the constellation Orion crept slowly toward the horizon with time. The ocean was electrified with fish, creating small explosions of light out of the bioluminescent algae.
Then, at about midnight, as Wade and I were leaning over the bow gazing into the water, one dolphin, then two, then four, then eight burst up in front of the bow. As they surged through the bioluminescent algae, the dolphins lit up with a ghostly, white-hot radiance. We called them ‘ghost dolphins,’ because of their ethereal incandescent glow in the dark of night at sea.
After nearly 20 minutes of this playful dance of light with our dolphin companions, the ocean had calmed around us. The stars reflected off the mirror-like ocean, as though there were now stars above, below, and all around. As I let myself drift off into the experience, the Quest seemed to disappear from my awareness. It felt as though we were now on a ship with ghost dolphins flying as our guides through space—advancing toward the Milky Way with Orion the Hunter as our guide. How the dolphins came to be with us that night is a story for another time.
Having had many encounters with orcas, humpback whales and dolphins, I have come to believe that when we engage with a sense of reverence, something changes in the coming together—where we move from observer to participant. And we take with us a greater sense of the sacredness of creation and our place within it. That night in the Pacific Ocean, it seemed as though there was a conscious coming together, where all of us celebrated that brief window of ecstatic enjoyment together.