Scientists suggest exchange with humpback whale could eventually lead humans to communicate with aliens
An accomplished group of scientists believes humans could eventually communicate with aliens after they had an unprecedented interaction with a whale in Alaska.
The 20-minute exchange between researchers and the humpback whale, which took place in southeast Alaska in August 2021, happened after scientists played a pre-recorded "contact" call that was amplified in the water, according to a recent study shared on PeerJ, an open access peer-reviewed scientific mega journal covering research in the biological and medical sciences.
Responding to the sound, the female humpback whale, named Twain, "approached and circled the team’s boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale ‘greeting signal,'" according to a news release about the interaction by the SETI Institute.
The exchange was championed by Dr. Brenda McCowan of U.C. Davis, who also serves as the lead author of the peer-reviewed study.
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"We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback ‘language,’" Dr. Brenda McCowan, left, said of the effort. (Jodi Frediani)
"We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback ‘language,’" McCowan said of the effort, which was done with a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Upon reaching the boat, more than 30 "contact" calls were reportedly projected. Each time, Twain "responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal," the SETI Institute noted.
"It certainly felt like we had been heard," coauthor Dr. Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation said of the experience in a statement to Business Insider.
Sharpe also noted in a statement that humpback whales are "extremely intelligent" and "have complex social systems," meaning they can "communicate extensively with both songs and social calls."
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The underwater calls deployed by the scientists, according to Business Insider, were sounds recorded from a handful of whales one day before the encounter.
"We might've been playing back her own hello to her," Sharpe said.
Dr. Fred Sharpe said in a statement that humpback whales are "extremely intelligent" and "have complex social systems," meaning they can "communicate extensively with both songs and social calls." (Jodi Frediani)
As for how the exchange correlates with that of future conversations with aliens, Dr. Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute, a coauthor on the paper, told the outlet he believes the whale's response to the calls may be indicative of how different aliens could attempt to make contact with people.
"Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrials will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers," Doyle said in a statement, according to the SETI Institute. "This important assumption is certainly supported by the behavior of humpback whales."
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Doyle told the outlet that he and his SETI colleagues are working with experts at UC Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation to create certain filters that could assist in their effort to find extraterrestrial life and perceive certain signals.
If there is other life out there, Doyle suggested in his comments to the outlet that being aware of how signals are sent could help humans understand whether an attempt at contact by aliens is being made.
A humpback whale swims in the Tongass National Forest near Juneau, Alaska, on July 7, 2021. (Getty Images)
"There are diverse intelligences on this planet, and by studying them, we can better understand what an alien intelligence might be like because they’re not going to be exactly like ours," McCowan told the outlet.
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In addition to their ongoing work with humpback whales, the scientists are also hoping to expand their research and communication efforts to other intelligent animals on Earth, including dolphins and certain carnivores.
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