The economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus led to a sharp drop in shipping traffic around the world. This has given scientists a rare chance to observe quieter oceans. One international project has been launched to listen to the sounds of the sea to study how the reduced shipping activity has affected sea life. Many scientists have long dreamed of the chance to observe the sounds of a quiet ocean. One of them is environmental scientist Jesse Ausubel. He leads the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University in New York. Eleven years ago, Ausubel dreamed aloud about the possibility during a speech to university students. He asked, what if scientists could record the sounds of the ocean in the days before engine-powered ships and boats began traveling the world? In such an environment, researchers could listen to underwater communications between blue whales hundreds of kilometers apart. They could record the sounds of groups of dolphins. Scientists could carry out the observations without human influences, with the goal of understanding the ways industrial activity affects sea life.