Electric Fish: The Hidden Sense in Dark Waters

Across oceans, rivers, and murky streams, many fish have evolved the remarkable ability to generate and detect electricity. While the famous electric eel often steals the spotlight, it’s far from the only aquatic electrician. From stealthy sharks detecting faint signals from hidden prey to lesser-known species quietly scanning dark waters with electric pulses, these animals use electricity to hunt, navigate, and communicate.

In this lecture, Brandon R. Brown, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of San Francisco, takes us on a tour of the electric lives of fish. Drawing on his research into the sensory abilities of sharks and their relatives, he’ll explore how these creatures use electricity not just to survive - but to interact, compete, and even “argue” with one another in the deep.

Part physics, part biology, and full of surprising animal behavior, this lecture reveals an underwater world buzzing with invisible signals - and the extraordinary creatures that know how to use them.