Universal Translator Might be Needed to Understand ET

space.com ^ | 01/27/05 | Douglas Vakoch

[KevinDavis]

Will we ever find a primer for decoding messages from extraterrestrials? Last month, anthropologists who gathered for a major conference in Atlanta, Georgia heard some news that will be sobering for SETI enthusiasts: it may be much more difficult to understand extraterrestrials than many scientists have thought before.

Among the sessions held during December’s annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association was one called "Anthropology, Archaeology, and Interstellar Communication: Science and the Knowledge of Distant Worlds." The session included papers by scholars from such diverse fields as astronomy, archaeology, anthropology, and psychology. Is there a Cosmic Rosetta Stone, they asked, drawing parallels to Earth’s own Rosetta Stone, which provided the key to decoding Egyptian hieroglyphics? Will we ever find a comparable primer for decrypting any messages we might receive some day from extraterrestrials?

[Rex Anderson]

Here's where you belong.

[Lawgvr1955]

You mean I learned Esperanto for nothing???

[BipolarBob]

If English was good enough for Jesus it's good nuff for aliens.

Actually Aramaic was in vogue in Jersualem and Galilee at the time. Unfortunately the Bible makes no mention of Jesus as ESL (Engling as a Second Language) linguist. But being master of the Universe, it may have been implied.

[BipolarBob]

*English

[spinestein]

SETI has been privately funded for many years now.

[spinestein]

beep
beep beep
beep beep beep
beep beep beep beep beep
beep beep beep beep beep beep beep
beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep
beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

[null and void]

Contary to popular belief aliens does not speak english.

Frequently it's Spanish... _*ducking*

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep?

[jwalsh07]

Let the aliens worry about it and fund it.

[Calvin Locke]

You mean I learned Esperanto for nothing???

You might be able to find a copy of that Bill Shatner movie done in Esperanto. Without subtitles, that is.

[spinestein]

Now you're talkin'.

:^)

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Heh... just don't ask me to "beep" 3.14159265... ;)

[TYVets]

You guys been watching reruns of Contact?

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Good movie. The scene where the giant spinning wormhole generator blew up was cool...

[spinestein]

I saw the movie once and was bored all the way through. I thought the ending was just plain silly.

Strange, because I'm a fan of Sagan's science writings, especially on the topic of scientific methodology. I didn't like the book (Contact)any more than I liked the movie.

[Petronski]

In order to find the primer, one must think like a Vegan, on multiple levels, in multiple dimensions....

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

"To Serve Man" was only a cookbook from the second half on...

[Petronski]

I love the way Futurama based their scientist character on Hadden.

My little room has one hell of a view...

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

"If we have head nothing so far odds are that we wont ever."

Head nothing and wont?

[MrDaddyLongLegs]

I thought the dude in " MARS ATTACKS " with his little translating machine was a real beauty, never made a mistake. AAAAAAAAK AAAAAAAAAAAAK AAAAAAAAAAAK AAAAAAAAAK