2023-12-16 10:57:00
Have you ever wondered what a conversation between whales and humans would be like?
Researchers at the SETI Institute have reported an experiment that may represent the first attempt to talk to humpback whales in their own language.
This first attempt at conversation between whales and humans aimed to explore inter-species communication.
Researchers hope to better understand how we could one day interact with extraterrestrial intelligences.
The exchange between humpback whales and humans took place in a feeding area off the coast of Alaska.
Dr. Brenda McCowan, an animal behaviorist at UC Davis who collaborated with the SETI team on this study, said:
“We believe this is the first attempt at communication of this kind between humpback whales and humans, using the specific language of this species. »
“In response to a recorded signal broadcast into the ocean via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team’s boat while responding interactively to the “ greeting signal” emitted.
During the 20-minute exchange, Twain reacted to each sound call and adjusted his responses by synchronizing the time variations between each signal […]
Similar to studying Antarctica as a proxy for Mars, the Whale-SETI team studies intelligent systems, both terrestrial and non-human, to create filters applicable to any received extraterrestrial signals.
To do this, they plan to apply the mathematical principles of information theory to assess the communicative complexity of received messages. »
Image credits: Pixabay
For example they will examine the structure of the rules integrated into these messages.
In their project, researchers from the SETI Institute, UC Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation presented their work in the scientific journal PeerJ.
They shared a study titled “Peer J review titled: “ Interactive bioacoustic reading as a tool for detecting and exploring non-human intelligence: “Conversing” with an Alaskan humpback whale. »
1702733592
#Scientists #revealed #conversation #whales #humans #great