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Humans have been sending messages into space for decades in an attempt to communicate with life
beyond Earth. But the question remains as to what will happen when we first make contact with an
extraterrestrial species, with experts wondering both what we should say and how we should say it.
Which are great questions. I mean,
what would you tell an alien species about humans or life here on Earth?
Some believe we should only tell them about our
good qualities and leave out our more destructive side. And so far, that’s what we’ve done.
Between radio broadcasts beamed into space towards star systems and golden records filled with the
sights and sounds of Earth aboard the Voyager spacecraft, humanity has sent docile messages
that include universal mathematical concepts, chemical equations, pictures of parents and
babies, sounds of laughter, and greetings, and even advertisements for Dorritos...yeah.
But what happens if they return our call?
There are some basic protocols developed in the 80s by researchers in the Search
for Extraterrestrial Intelligence field. They say that anyone who detects a credible signal from an
extraterrestrial species should share all their information with the public and other scientists
and that no response should be given without guidance from an international body like the UN.
But, other than that, there’s no official, government-led plan in
place for when we make contact. Though it may not make much of a difference.
If contact is made when we receive a message through radio signals from distant stars,
it would take centuries for them to get our response anyways,
so we could take our time in figuring out what to say and how to say it.
And if, instead, we first meet when they show up here on Earth, meaning their technology
is thousands of years advanced beyond our own, they’ll be the ones calling the shots.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll
be a threat. Carl Sagan believed that a civilization advanced enough to achieve
interstellar travel would also be advanced beyond things like war and destruction.
Or, according to the Zoo Hypothesis, if they determine that we are much less advanced than
them, they may choose to avoid all contact and let us continue to develop naturally.
But, if they are friendly and want to talk, communication wouldn’t be impossible,
as long as we’re advanced enough to understand their communication methods and its meaning.
Like in the movie Arrival, linguists would first figure out their communication method,
whether it be verbal, or written, or something else., Then they would build
up a vocabulary and understanding until we can ask them important questions.
Like “Do you have pizza bagels where you come from?” and
“Are you here in peace?” Hopefully, the answer to both of these questions is yes.
So, do you believe in aliens? Let me know in the comment section below or tell me,
what should we talk about next?
Coming up at 11. What will happen at 11:05 will probably end your life.
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