In our recent commentary, we highlight the urgent need to advance marine mammal neuroscience—a field that, despite the rapid evolution of neurotechnologies, remains underdeveloped and fragmented. Cetacean and pinniped brains show remarkable evolutionary specializations, but systematic, reproducible data across species remain scarce due to constraints in sampling, access, and methodological standardization.

We identify a critical need for coordinated efforts to standardize best practice protocols for the sampling, storage, and systematic analysis of marine mammal nervous tissues. To this end, we propose the formation of an inclusive, multidisciplinary network and invite collaboration through our Open Science Framework project.

Join us to collectively advance this emerging field!