The research team Whale-SETI, consisting of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis, and Whale Foundation of Alaska, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by “communicating” with a humpback whale named Twain. Their goal is to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial life by studying the communication systems of humpback whales.
Instead of just studying the communication of humpback whales, the team decided to test their understanding by attempting to communicate with these animals. Using a recorded contact call of a humpback whale played through an underwater speaker, they were amazed when Twain approached their boat and responded conversationally. Twain consistently adjusted to the time differences between the successive calls, indicating a genuine exchange.
Dr. Brenda McCowan, the lead author of the study, expressed the significance of this achievement, stating that it was the first communicative exchange in the “language” of humpback whales. Dr. Fred Sharpe from the Whale Foundation in Alaska added that this breakthrough highlights the intelligence of humpback whales, showcasing their complex social systems, tool-making abilities, and extensive use of songs and social sounds.
The behavior observed in humpback whales supports the assumption that extraterrestrial beings may also be interested in establishing contact with humans. The Whale-SETI team plans to use their discoveries about non-human communication systems to develop filters that can be applied in the case of potential extraterrestrial signals.
The future of this research involves applying information theory to quantitatively express the communication complexity of the received messages. The team hopes to uncover the structured principles encoded in these messages to further understand the language of humpback whales and potential extraterrestrial life.
The researchers are also preparing a second publication focusing on non-audio behavioral behaviors of humpback whales, particularly investigating bubble-net feeding patterns created in the presence of humans. The Templeton Diverse Intelligences program has provided generous financial support for this groundbreaking research.
This remarkable achievement opens up new possibilities for studying non-human intelligence and deepens our understanding of the complex communication systems of humpback whales. It is a promising step towards unraveling the mysteries of the universe and our place within it.
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The source of the article is from the blog crasel.tk