Jakarta – A new research mentions a method for learning how to communicate with aliens, namely having conversations with humpback whales. The research was carried out by the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation.
Quoting from detikInet, scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, recently had a conversation with a humpback whale named Twain. They used underwater speakers to make calls to the whales.
The scientists matched variations in the interval between signals on each call for 20 minutes, Twain was able to respond to the scientists. The research is reminiscent of the film Star Trek, when a crew obtains alien whale transmissions that can only be decoded under the sea. In fact, this science fiction film does have implications for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), referring to a statement from SETI itself.
“We believe that this is the first communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales using whale language,” said Brenda McCowan, lead author of the research from UC Davis, as quoted detikINET from Live Science, Monday (18/12/2023).
Just as a crew of astronauts simulates a mission to Mars or the Moon, the SETI team studies humpback whale communication systems to better understand how to detect and interpret signals from space. Their findings could be used to develop filters that would later be applied to the reception of any extraterrestrial signal.
“Due to technological limitations, an important assumption that can be held currently in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial beings will also be interested in making contact with or targeting humans,” said Laurence Doyle, research co-author from the SETI Institute.
Each of Twain’s responses to the scientist’s call demonstrates the level of sophistication of this understanding and interaction. The whale approached and circled the team’s boat after listening to a contact call from underwater speakers. Matching interval variations between each call is similar to human conversational style.
“Humpback whales are really intelligent, have complex social systems, make tools such as making nets out of bubbles to catch fish, and communicate through songs and social calls,” said Fred Skarpe, research co-author from the Alaska Whale Foundation.
Work on humpback whales could provide exciting opportunities to study intelligent communication in non-human species. The team of scientists applied the principles of information theory to develop filters that can help process extraterrestrial signals and search for intelligent life outside Earth.
This article was published on detikInet with the title Humpback Whales Can Help You Practice Chatting with Aliens.
(south/south)
2023-12-21 19:30:37
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