Dear MARMAM Community, We want to share an e-letter titled “*Brain injuries and cetacean strandings: A lot of food for evidence-based thoughts*” in response to “ A Big Bang Theory of Big Brain Trauma” by Terrie Williams. *The e-letter can be read at the end of the article*: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp9363.
In this e-letter, we first acknowledge and share the concern about the impact that human-generated acoustic activities may have on the health and welfare of cetaceans while explaining that cetacean strandings are not uniform and vary significantly depending on the species, circumstances, and causes (many of which are unknown). We highlight the significant progress made by the scientific community—including international multidisciplinary research groups and laboratories, as well as veterinary pathologists—in determining the cause of deaths and/or strandings, including the study of the dolphin and whale brains. We conclude that adopting a broad, multidisciplinary 'One Health' perspective is crucial for understanding why cetacean mass strandings occur. Finally, we welcome new hypotheses for mass strandings. However, they should be proposed with an awareness of the historical context and current state of the art in strandings and related pathologies. Kind regards, *Antonio Fernández*, Full Professor. Histology and Veterinary Pathology. DVM, PhD, DECVP, DEFVP, DECZM (Wildlife Health), EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Pathology Head of WOAH Collaborating Centre on Marine Mammal Health Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. *Yara Bernaldo de Quirós*, Assistant Professor, PhD Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. *Giovanni Di Guardo*, Former Professor of General Pathology and Veterinary Pathophysiology. Veterinary Medical Faculty, University of Teramo.
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