1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to the podcast. This is 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: Robert lamb Um Julie Douglas. Tell me, Julie, have you 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: ever been stuck on an elevator and find yourself in 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: a situation where you feel like you have to make 6 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: smallpop with another person, a stranger. Yeah, it's kind of tough. 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: I mean usually sort of look around and for some 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: reason or another, weather is pretty reliable as a topic. Yeah, 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: it's instantly relatable. Everybody has to deal with it, and uh, 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: opinions are not going to vary too much, you know, right, Yeah, 11 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: that's it's not a lightning rod subject usually, and unless 12 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: there's a right lightning rods are the subject, I guess. Yeah, 13 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: then then that's an entirely different elevator you're in, and 14 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:50,919 Speaker 1: it's a pithy subject. You don't just spend a lot 15 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: of time on it. Yeah. So yeah, so it's in's 16 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: instantly relatable. But then you know it's they're all these 17 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: cultural things too. Just you know, you're talking to somebody 18 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: that you have no idea where they're coming from. On 19 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: um on saye like hand gestures um like uh I 20 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: believe it was Amanda Arnold, how Stuff Works editor who 21 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: blogs for Cool Stuff on the Planet. She did this 22 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: really cool blog entry about how like different hand signals, 23 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: how they mean vastly different things, you know, depending on 24 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: where you are in the world. Like, you know, thumbs 25 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: up is great here some you know, other places you'll 26 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: get you know attacked for that, um, you know, making 27 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: a little like wolf sign with your hands, like over here, 28 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: that means you're like rocking out or you know, or 29 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: enjoying heavy metal. Other places it's you're saying something like 30 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: really bad about somebody's mother, right, showing the bottom of 31 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 1: your foot too, right, you can pass your legs, yeah 32 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: like that actually, um yeah, that's like Thailand. That's a 33 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: huge thing there. And when my wife and I visited there, 34 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: like that was something that's like we're just really on 35 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: edge the whole time, Like, oh my goodness, you know, 36 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: make sure I do not gesture with my feet when 37 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: I sit down, you know, make sure I don't you know, 38 00:01:57,760 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: cross my legs so that I'm pointing the bottom of 39 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: my foot at somebody. And even in the airport, like 40 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: leaving um and flying on the Thailand air Uh. They 41 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: they had like a separate container to for your shoes 42 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: to be x rayed in then separate from the rest 43 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: of your stuff, because the idea of putting your shoes 44 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: in with your pocket things is just, you know, not acceptable, 45 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: It's insane. Yeah. So it's like I'm I'm kind of 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: kind of like washed off on me, and I still 47 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: find myself like I'll be in a meeting like here 48 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: at work, and I'll be like, oh, my goodness, did 49 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: I just point the bottom of my foot at my boss? 50 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: What am I thinking? You know? And then I have 51 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: to remind myself he doesn't care because he's not tie right. 52 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: But Yeah, So I think what that kind of makes 53 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: me think of is how difficult it is to actually 54 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: communicate with one another. Yeah, and that's just on this planet. 55 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: So when we start talking about the possibility of speaking 56 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: with other worlds and you know, other you know, interstellar civilizations, uh, 57 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: it just gets entirely more complicated, right, because I mean, 58 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: how we how would you even know what the cultural 59 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: norms are of another civilization? Yeah? Or what what do 60 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: you have in common with something that lives, you know, 61 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: on the other side of the galaxy and evolved, you know, 62 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: in completely different situations, which leads us to our subject today, 63 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: which is all right, if we do actually engage in 64 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: conversation with these beings. Yeah, what's the adequate yea, what 65 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: do we do? How do we behave? What do we 66 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: talk about? How do we talk about it? Yeah? Who's 67 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: regulating this anyway? Yeah? Yeah, it turns out a lot 68 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: of people are giving it some serious thought. Yeah, and 69 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: it's really it's been in the news lately for a 70 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: couple of reasons. One I think it's because there were 71 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: some ex military personnel who signed an affic David that 72 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: basically said, hey, we saw some UFOs hovering of our 73 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: military silences. Um, you know, we've got to put that 74 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: out in the open. And then there was what has 75 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: turned out to be a false rumor that Malaysian asked 76 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: your physicist Maslin Offman was to become the UN spokesperson 77 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: for Earth just in case aliens engaged us. So it's 78 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: like the aliens, you know, contact us, and it's it's 79 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: the middle of the night in Malaysia. Then people are like, 80 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: whoa hold on, give us, give us thirty minutes. We 81 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: have to go wake somebody up. Yeah, and they're like, hey, Offman, 82 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: you're on you're on deck, right, and so that again 83 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: that turns out to be false. But definitely aliens are 84 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: on the mind. And in fact, there's a booking company 85 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: that places bets that actually has a hundred to one odds. 86 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 1: They're offering this that either the U S President or 87 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: the serving British Prime Minister will announce existence of e 88 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: t s within a year of the bet being placed. 89 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: I wonder if you can place bets on whether it 90 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: will be announced like during elections, you know, or in 91 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: the lead up to elections, Like how would that like? What? 92 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: What are what works? Like? If you're if you want 93 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: to be re elected, do you you tell everybody they're aliens? 94 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: Or do you you set on it right right? I 95 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: don't know. We need to talk to some bookies about this, 96 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: all the different factors that contribute to the odds, but 97 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: in any case, it's definitely on our minds. And there 98 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: are a couple of reasons for that. I mean, beyond 99 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: the fact that it's been in the news. One of that. 100 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: One of the reasons is because of the Setti Institute. Yeah, 101 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: and these folks they make it their job to search 102 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: for extraterrestrial intelligence. That's what they do day in, day 103 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: out satellites. UM. There list basically cosmic eavesdroppers, if you will, 104 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: searching for some sort of signal that our little green 105 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: friends are out there, and they're really pondering in a 106 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: really significant way, what would happen if they were out there? 107 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: What if we did establish contact? Yeah, and a lot 108 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: of this UM. One of the key ingredients in in 109 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: in their belief and a lot of people believe that 110 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: there there is intelligent life out there somewhere is the 111 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: Drake equation, which is if if you look at the 112 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: entire equation, it's like the one that looks like inn 113 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: equals are with a little star by it. Uh, you know, 114 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: fd N E f L f I, f c L 115 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: and these all stand for different things like in equals 116 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,840 Speaker 1: the number of communicative civilizations are equals the rate of 117 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: formation of suitable stars FP is the fraction of those 118 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: stars with planets. Uh. Then you know it breaks down 119 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: along lines of like the you know, number of Earth 120 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: like world per planetary system, the fraction of those planets 121 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: that where life actually develops, the fraction of life sites 122 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: where intelligence develops, um, you know, and and uh and 123 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: contendering like communication issues as well, So it's we we 124 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: don't really we can't always say definitively what the value 125 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: would be for each of these letters, but we can 126 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:48,599 Speaker 1: we can sort of make we can make educated guesses. 127 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: So we make educated guesses, and then when we plug up, 128 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,919 Speaker 1: plug all those numbers into the equation, we get a 129 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: sort of a rough, very rough, you know, estimate of 130 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: how many intelligent civilizations there might be. And based on 131 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: Drake's um own current solution to his own equation, the 132 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: Drake equation, uh, he thinks there would be ten thousand, uh, 133 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: communitive civilizations in the Milky Way, right, And again this 134 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: is kind of this is rough science. So there are 135 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: a lot of different parts of this equation that criticism. Yeah, 136 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: people will put in different numbers and say, actually it's 137 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: not ten thousand, it's more like one. Yeah. Yeah, So 138 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,119 Speaker 1: it varies tremendously, but it's a it's something that gives 139 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: people a lot of Um. I don't know if hope 140 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: is really the word, because I mean, I think there's 141 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,239 Speaker 1: a lot of concern and know a little fear about 142 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: the possibility there being something out there, But a lot 143 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: of people, you know, continue to work, you know far 144 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: you know it's set because they believe there's a really 145 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: good chance that it's there. And if it's there, we 146 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: need to know about it. Line up, you know, protocol, right. 147 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: And I think the fact too that astronomers have discovered 148 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: that there are three planets beyond our Solar system. There's 149 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: the idea that one of them could be an earthlike 150 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: planet in their for could produce life forms. So, given 151 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: given everything that's been in the news, the fact that 152 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: study is is making this grand exploration into the question 153 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: of extraterrestrial life, the Drake equation, I think what what 154 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: it's all pointing to is, Okay, it could It could 155 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: happen in two years, it could happen in forty years. 156 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: We're not quite certain. We've got some math and science 157 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: to bear out different results. But what if it did 158 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: happen tomorrow? Yeah, what would we do? Would it just 159 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: be it would be in a situation where would just 160 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: be chaos? Would it just you know, be everybody with 161 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: a radio station and TV going on and pretending to 162 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: be the spokesman for humanity, right, introducing themselves with the 163 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 1: President of the United States or president of the Ukraine. 164 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: I don't know people using it as a you know, 165 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: an excuse to appeal to voters or to slam that, 166 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: you know, candidates. You know, the sky's the limit, you know, 167 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: So you end up having to have some sort of 168 00:08:55,920 --> 00:09:00,080 Speaker 1: protocol in place, you know, some sort of maybe a 169 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: decision making body, but at least a body that can 170 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: you know, direct policy and let a thought into how 171 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: can you effectively communicate given that, as you said before 172 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: at the top of the podcast, that it's hard enough 173 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: for us to communicate with one another, let alone some 174 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: sort of being out there. Yeah, because like in the elevator, 175 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: the message is pretty simple. It's hey guy, Um, I'm 176 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: a normal dude too. The fact that we're talking to 177 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: each other and in this owner and stuck in this 178 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: elevator together, it's not weird at all, right, right, that 179 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: we're sealed up right now, You're right, and that that 180 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: is really if you're reading between the lines, that's saying. 181 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: You're saying I won't threaten you, You won't threaten me either, right. Um, Yes, 182 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: the weather is great outside. So what what have we 183 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:52,079 Speaker 1: actively been telling aliens or think that we've been telling them? Well, 184 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: it's I like to kind of think of it in 185 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: terms of Facebook. Um, not because Facebook is constantly on 186 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: my mind, though I do have to use it for work, 187 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: so I guess it is. But but like in Facebook, 188 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: you have like your profile right everything you know, profiles 189 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: out there, and certain aspects, certain corners of that profile, 190 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: depending on how you have your setting, may be locked 191 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: so that if there if someone's not your friend on Facebook, 192 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: they can't see everything about you. Maybe they can only 193 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: see your picture and some you know, basic stats and 194 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: you have no idea who's looking at it. You know, 195 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: it could be people from high school that you don't 196 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: want to have contact with. It could be crazy people 197 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: in other countries, um, you know, aliens surfing the Internet. 198 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: And that's the thing. We have a lot of information 199 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: out there that's just sort of leaked away from the 200 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: planet and is you know, conceivably available, such as TV 201 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 1: and radio signals. So that's what from the last fifty 202 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 1: years we've been we've had some leakage, so to speak. 203 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: And it's you know, there are actually some really cool 204 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: charts online that show like just how far they've spread 205 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: into what, you know, what stars, these different you know 206 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: shows have reached. You know, there are portions of the 207 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: of the Milky Way that are you know, geting um, 208 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: you know, they're getting the untouchables, or they're getting Gilgigins Island. 209 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,439 Speaker 1: You know, they're getting you know, Buck Rogers there. It's 210 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: just you know, it's like cultural leakage, you know, through 211 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: television and just sort of expanding outward. So if some 212 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: being were cosmic doing some cosmic eavesdropping, that being would say, wow, 213 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: this these people are kind of nuts. Maybe they've gone 214 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: through a lot of strife, They've created a lot of strife, 215 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: They've had moments of grace, and they have Jersey Shore. Yeah. Yeah, 216 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: So it's like what kind of message you're sending. It's like, 217 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: especially they choose to like focus just on say the 218 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: Second World War and Jersey Shore. You know, right, you 219 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 1: know they could you could. It's it's pretty I mean, 220 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: I hate to be too pessimistic, but if you had 221 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: to compile an argument for the eradication of Earth just 222 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: you know, based on television programming, you could probably make 223 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: a pretty strong argument. You know, but you're right, it's 224 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 1: it's a bleak thought. But yeah, and then and then 225 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: there's all like if Heaven forbid aliens get a hold 226 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: of our Internet. I mean, it's there's just so much 227 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 1: stuff out there. You know. It's like our we we 228 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: put like so much of our our culture and our 229 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 1: global civilization into television, into the Internet and into these things, 230 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: and it's not necessarily the best um argument for who 231 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: we are or not the argument we want to put 232 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: forth to other planets. Would would be like if you 233 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:26,239 Speaker 1: had your complete Facebook all the way open to everybody 234 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: in the world, you know, and like, you know, potential 235 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: employer logs on and they're like, oh, you know, he's 236 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,679 Speaker 1: really a fan of you know, these films that are 237 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: kind of weird or oh that. You know, it's like 238 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: his profile pictures is Halloween costume and he looks like 239 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 1: somebody I don't want to employ, you know. It's you know, 240 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 1: it's that it's that kind of thing. We have a 241 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: lot of stuff that we don't necessarily want to put 242 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,719 Speaker 1: out there for public you know, consumption in the universe. Yeah, 243 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,319 Speaker 1: So where to begin? I mean, we're going to describe ourselves. 244 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: What's the best way to do? I mean, I mean, 245 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: we're we're pretty complex, multi multifaceted human beings. Um. It 246 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: makes me think of one of the first things to 247 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: go out there in a in a very um an 248 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: actually organized way, which is the Pioneer plaque, Yes, nineteen 249 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:16,439 Speaker 1: seventy two. Uh, this was a plaque that was adhered 250 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: to Pioneers eleven and twelve the spacecraft, and it had 251 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: an image on or has an image floating around right 252 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:32,960 Speaker 1: now of a woman, a man, the Solar System, the sun, 253 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: essentially a side section of the spacecraft. A couple other 254 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: things on there. Yeah, there's um maybe like a hydrogen 255 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: hydrogen molecule, molecule diagram. Um, there's a they also have 256 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 1: on the map of the Solar System that shows the 257 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: directory of the craft to show where it came from, 258 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: where it's going, and uh, and some other stuff too 259 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: to judge, like is there's some stuff in there about 260 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: the frequencies of pulsar um. They'll enable other civilizations to 261 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 1: potentially determine the time that has lapsed since the Pioneer 262 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: was launched, you know, things of that nature, and you know, 263 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,839 Speaker 1: and just to sort of show that like, hey, these 264 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: are the this is the ship. You know, these are 265 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: the creatures that made the ship, and this is a 266 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: general idea of their you know, scientific proficiency, right and 267 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: sort of like where it's sort of like where we 268 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: are in the world, um you know, I mean the 269 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: solar system, where earths in the solar system, the side 270 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: section of the aircraft as it relates to the dimensions 271 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: of a human being as well, So trying to get 272 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: some sort of scope on that. But what I think 273 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: is really interesting about this is if an alien were 274 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,800 Speaker 1: to intercept this, I still think it would be a 275 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: little bit baffling. Yeah, because who's to you know, we 276 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: we bring a little uh anthropomorphic chauvinism to just about anything. 277 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: So you know what if you know, you look at 278 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: these these these people, I mean, we look at and 279 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: we know it's an the very at least we you know, 280 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: you know it's an animal, and you know, and we 281 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 1: know it's a human. But that, you know, that doesn't 282 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: mean another you know, civilization, you know, another alien species 283 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: would be able to look at that and figure out 284 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: what it was, you know, I mean like is it 285 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: a living thing? Is it sculpture? Is it you know, 286 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: is it a rock formation? You know? Is it just lines? 287 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: I mean, like you think of things like um like 288 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: like just human you know, neurological things like face blindness 289 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: and the like, you know, things that that prohibit the 290 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: mind from understanding, um, a form something out of context. 291 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, they could look at it and see nothing 292 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: they I mean, maybe they could tell at the very 293 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: least that it is not a natural, you know, composition. 294 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 1: But who's to say they could decide for anything beyond that, right, 295 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: And it might even look like a cave drawing to them, 296 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: you know, so so primitive that they have to stare 297 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: at it for a very long time. Say whoa, wait, 298 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: hold on, I think this is some sort of object 299 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: that it was useful to them. But I think what 300 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: I want to look at the drawing a little closer, 301 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: because I think it more than saying anything to aliens, 302 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: I think it says a lot to us as as 303 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: a culture. Um. And if you look at the drawing, 304 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: you've got the male and the female and they're both nude. 305 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: And by the way, this caused some controversy when it 306 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: first came out. Oh yeah, there was. I have to 307 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: read this. I got this out of UH one of 308 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: Sagan's books. This is a copy of a letter that 309 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,680 Speaker 1: went into Los Angeles Times, UH and the times it published, 310 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: you know, a picture of that image on the front 311 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 1: of the newspaper, and this this person wrote in and said, 312 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: I must say I was shocked by the blatant display 313 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,760 Speaker 1: of both male and female sex organs on the front 314 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: page of the Times. Surely this type of sexual exploitation 315 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: is below the standards of our community. That below the 316 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: standards our community has come to expect from the Times. 317 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: Isn't it enough that we must tolerate the bombardment of 318 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: pornography through the media of film and smut magazines. Isn't 319 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: it bad enough that our own space agency officials have 320 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: found it necessary to spread this filth even beyond our 321 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: own solar system. It's kind of awesome you think about, 322 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 1: especially in the context of this image. Is really actually 323 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: puritanical looking at it now, But at the time, yeah, 324 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: it was interstellar pornography. They thought that, some people thought. 325 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: And you have, um, the male who is he's signifying 326 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: a sort of good will chester with his hand up. 327 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: He looks very awkward. I think he does like I do. 328 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: You think it just drives home just how ridiculous masculine 329 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,440 Speaker 1: nudity is anyway, saying he looks really uncomfortable, he really 330 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: wishes he had his clothes on, I think. And then 331 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 1: you have the female standing next to him, and the 332 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,360 Speaker 1: weird thing about her is that because she's not signifying 333 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,400 Speaker 1: at all. She's not waving, so that's saying something right there. Yeah, 334 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 1: like she's going to be an antisocial Yeah yeah, it's like, 335 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:52,919 Speaker 1: how okay? And this is this is the female. She 336 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,960 Speaker 1: doesn't speak, and the other thing is right right, I 337 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: am the master of the universe, I think, is what 338 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,199 Speaker 1: maybe that's saying. And the female is shifted slightly to 339 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: one hip, so one of her legs is um sort 340 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: of like at a forty five degreeing. I don't know 341 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: how you would describe that, and she it looks a 342 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 1: little suggestive. And if I were an alien and I 343 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 1: could start to kind of pick up on some of 344 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: the nuances here, I might think that she would be 345 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: open to dinner and drinks later. Well, but a part 346 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: of that is that she does look more natural and 347 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: that the guy just looks like just very stuff. You know, 348 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: she does she does. She actually looks like she's she's 349 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 1: used to being naked a lot. And it's the seventies 350 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: right when this is being drawn, so it's very possible 351 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: that this is modeled after someone. Well. Another interesting you know, 352 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 1: aspect of that, speaking of her nudity in particular, is 353 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: a NaSTA official censor this image before you go out. 354 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: It was originally uh and this is this according to 355 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: like to say, you know a lot of people like 356 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: it's been discussed enough that it's just not Nobody Nasty 357 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: even denies it that they they decided to edit her 358 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,159 Speaker 1: a little bit so that she's not completely anatomically correct, 359 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: Like she's more Barbie Doll than you know, smut magazine 360 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: rights the language of the La Times, right, I mean, 361 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: to be specific, the line that would define the Volvo's 362 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: this's correct was e racist. Yeah, and I mean with 363 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: the male it's it's still very simple, but it's obviously 364 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: you know, there's some frank and beans or something going. 365 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it's like I can imagine like 366 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: aliens look in this and be like, well, where does 367 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: that even go? How does this work? I don't, Yeah, 368 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,200 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't get this. Really, these are two 369 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,199 Speaker 1: different a sexual species, right, they lay eggs in the 370 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: water and then yeah, I wouldn't be able to get 371 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: a lick of sense out of this. I think I 372 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: was an alien. But it is fascinating because it really 373 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: is kind of spelling out who we who we think 374 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: we are. Um at least in nineteen seventy two. And 375 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: the other thing I was thinking about is, Okay, so 376 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: the plaque we know is going to exist well beyond 377 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,439 Speaker 1: our lifetimes, So I don't know, forty years from now, 378 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: someone can intercept this, So we as a as a 379 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: race might look very different or evolve into a very 380 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 1: different type of being than what's represented in nineteen seventy two. Yeah, 381 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:21,680 Speaker 1: not to mention, um, you know how much like I mean, 382 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: just you know, this is just that this is the 383 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: human body, and it's like you know, un costumed form, 384 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: you know, and when you talk about like the you know, 385 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: the future revolution of humans and how like wearable computer 386 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: technology factors into it, I mean, it's this may not 387 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: really be a complete picture of you know, even if 388 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: if biologically we don't evolve all that much, will this 389 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: be a good you know, image of what human society is? Um? 390 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,639 Speaker 1: You know, you know this that that far into the future, 391 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: like right, so because we'll have certain as presumably you 392 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: will have certain uh types of equipment attached to our 393 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: it's at least we think this right now. And if 394 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: we indeed, if technology ends up, if we end up 395 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: having more of almost a symbiotic relationship with our technology, 396 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: you know, factoring in things like the idea of a 397 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: technological singularity where computers you know exceed you know, human capacity, 398 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: and and you know, maybe we end up with something 399 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: kind of like in the the n and Bank Banks 400 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: culture novels, where you have like computers are kind of 401 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: like looking after people and taking care of all the 402 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: the real serious stuff, while humans have kind of, um uh, 403 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: you know, this kind of you know, free society where 404 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: they kind of do what they want, don't have to 405 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: worry about, you know, any kind of serious situations. Like 406 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 1: maybe in that respect, it's it makes sense that voyagers 407 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,400 Speaker 1: there in the background, and maybe they'll say, hey, there's 408 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,439 Speaker 1: the computerized machine that's that's actually does everything, and they 409 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: are these are the naked people that just kind of 410 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: do what they want. There's their gut in the background, right, Um, 411 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: but that's that's what I think is just this is 412 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: very interesting. It's a little time capsule of that shot 413 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: out there, but it's not the only one, right. Yeah, 414 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 1: we follow this up with the voyager missions and we 415 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: in a little we're a little more robust with this 416 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 1: this mission. My understanding of sagan Um I wanted to 417 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: actually include like more like naked like photographs, you know, 418 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, nothing like you know, something very yeah, clinical, 419 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 1: you know, just to show exactly this is the this 420 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,919 Speaker 1: is the human organism. And that was that was you know, 421 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 1: completely censored, and I think they went with a silhouette instead. 422 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: But we also included the Golden Records. Yeah, and the 423 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 1: Golden Records, in which, uh they're like what hundred sixteen 424 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: images on this record? There are greetings and fifty nine languages. 425 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: There's uh, bits of ephemera, so to speak, a sound 426 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: of a kiss, wind and thunder birds, whales, other animals, 427 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:51,080 Speaker 1: fifty five languages, um printed messages from President Carter. I 428 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: don't know, I don't know why I'm laughing about that. 429 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 1: He's a wonderful man. But yes, for I guess it's 430 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: just the quality of oh well, it's nineteen seventy seven. Again, 431 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: here's this representation of life specifically in this one year, 432 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: in this universe, which is kind of funny. And we 433 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 1: included I think some classical music, yeah, yeah, and I 434 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,679 Speaker 1: mean and it is definitely a fuller representation of the 435 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: human experience in n rather than this sort of crude 436 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,640 Speaker 1: line drawing um from the pioneer plaque. But I think 437 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: what's interesting about it too is that um and actually 438 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: this was a piece on NPR that they did. They 439 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: talked about how Carl second and and drew in his 440 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: second wife, how that that period in time that UM, 441 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: that Golden Record is, in a weird way, sort of 442 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: an example of their versioning relationship and when they were 443 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: falling in love. And I thought it was interesting is 444 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: that they also recorded the electrical impulses of Anne's brain 445 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: and her nervous system, turning them into sound. And then 446 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: the hope was that maybe in a one million years 447 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: or one thousand million years actually, um, some alien civilization 448 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: might be able to turn that data back into thoughts. 449 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: And at the time when she when they were recording that, 450 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: she actually meditated, and she was meditating on the awe 451 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:19,160 Speaker 1: of love and being in love. So, I mean, it's 452 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: such a romantic scientific thing. You gotta love it. It is, 453 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: I mean, and it's a great story of scientists and love. 454 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 1: It's just yeah, it's it's well if you haven't heard it, 455 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: it's well worth looking up. Yeah. Absolutely, But yeah, here's 456 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,239 Speaker 1: here's another piece of um or pieces of data that 457 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,400 Speaker 1: we've thrown or we've flung into space trying to explain 458 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 1: who we are. Yeah, it's interesting to include like the 459 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 1: music in the art because I was reading some stuff 460 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 1: from Paul Davies, be cosmologist, who's um really awesome guy. 461 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: I got to interview it for a Discovery News article 462 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: earlier this year and just you know, just very just 463 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: brilliant dude, very relatable though, and can just break down 464 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: these topics with these but he pointed out that like 465 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: art in music are are, they're very tied to our 466 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: cognitive architecture. Like in one sense, like music is like 467 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: a great example of who we are, but it's something 468 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,679 Speaker 1: that an alien species could easily have no frame of 469 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 1: reference and just totally not appreciate on any level. You know, right, 470 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: it might be some kind of weird squawking thing that 471 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: we Yeah. Yeah, so in in a way it's like 472 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 1: it's the perfect example of who we are, but there's 473 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 1: a very good chance nobody could read it. Which is 474 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: interesting because um in in talking about how we could 475 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: communicate with aliens, and this is this is what study 476 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: has really been queuing itself up to do or actually 477 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: to think about. Music has has come up as one 478 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 1: of the ways that might be a language that we 479 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: could share. Yeah, and um, And what I'm thinking about 480 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 1: too is that that there was a workshop that the 481 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 1: Study Institute had in Paris in two thousand and two, 482 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 1: and the invited people from all the disciplines and they 483 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 1: got them in a room and said, let's really start 484 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 1: thinking in a very serious way about how we can 485 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: communicate with aliens effectively and what sort of modes we 486 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: can do that in. How can you now? No, this 487 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: was an actual workshop, but the college credit came later 488 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: because I can just imagine like a lot of jocks 489 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: signing up for that one thing and it's gonna be 490 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: an easy course. Yeah, they're gonna be like, we just say, hey, 491 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: not to stereotype jocks, because you wouldn't say that. Then 492 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,160 Speaker 1: maybe you never know, there could be scientists out there 493 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:38,679 Speaker 1: and we salute you. Prove me wrong. But there was. 494 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 1: There was actually a college credit that you could get 495 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: at the University of Wyoming in two thousand and eight, 496 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,919 Speaker 1: and it was a program sponsored by NASA and the UH. 497 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:56,160 Speaker 1: The name of it is called Interstellar Message Composition. They 498 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 1: have eleven students. The students were asked ponder how aliens 499 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: might communicate, whether they'd be able to translate human language, 500 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: and if they'd be able to see or hear them. 501 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: So those were just some thoughts to get them going 502 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 1: thinking outside the terrestrial box. Yeah, yeah, this is this 503 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: is their um, their college think tank, I suppose. So, 504 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: I mean, if you look at what studies doing is 505 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: actually pretty interesting, is that they are picking the brains 506 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,399 Speaker 1: of everyone they can about about this problem of communication, 507 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 1: how do we do it and how do we do 508 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 1: it effectively? And one of the communications that came out 509 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:33,719 Speaker 1: of it was from a student who wrote a poem 510 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: about menstruation with syllables arranged in the fibonacci sequence. A 511 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: poem about menstruation. Yes, now you know women, do you 512 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: represent populations? So, I mean that might be an interesting 513 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: tidbit too share with the aliens, though out of context, 514 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,399 Speaker 1: I don't know that. Um, it seems like I don't know. 515 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: I'm just thinking, like when I meet people, like the 516 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,919 Speaker 1: first ing out of there, like I feel like I 517 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 1: have met people before for the first thing they say 518 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: does relate demonstration, and it it kind of makes the 519 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: rest of the conversation a little awkward for me. Well, 520 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: so if this is a perfect point that the actually Um, 521 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: people have been making about what we're going to say 522 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: to aliens, like do we do you just you know, 523 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: do you lock down sort of uh like Facebook style 524 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: some parts of your personal profile so that you don't 525 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: scare people off. Me, You don't necessarily if you meet 526 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,359 Speaker 1: your neighbors, say hey, I'm so and so in about 527 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: an hour, I'm going to be completely ripped and like, 528 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: you know, naked in my backyard. I mean, these are 529 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: not things that you normally say to someone if you're 530 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: that person who does that. Um. But now, Douglas vatch Off, 531 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: back off, excuse me, completely wrong. Douglas Vakoch, who is 532 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: studies interstellar communication guru, basically says, you know what, we 533 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 1: should be trying parent about who we are. UM, not 534 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: necessarily being talking about minstruation or um binge drinking, but 535 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: being more transparent about who we are as a human race. UM, 536 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: that we we do have a lot of strife, that 537 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: we do have warfare. I mean, he feels like being 538 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: honest out of the gate is going to put us 539 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: in a in a better position. What's like with any relationship, 540 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: It's kind of the idea, it's like if you hide 541 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: too much of who you are if this relationship is 542 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: going to blossom, then that stuff's going to come out right, right, 543 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: So like, don't lie. It's like, oh, we've never had worse. 544 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: What are you talking about? Did you get that out 545 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: of that leaked? Yeah? Just a show about that. Yeah, 546 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: but you let you let him know, you know, off 547 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: the bat, Yeah yeah yeah. So I mean I do 548 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: think that's interesting. And then I think the other really 549 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: interesting part of this UM, this effort to try to communicate, 550 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: is that people are in particular study are trying to 551 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: regulate it, and space lawyers are getting in on the 552 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: action UM and helping to create protocols so that not 553 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: just every time to can Harry, can you know, put 554 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: something out there UM and try to communicate with aliens 555 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: and we can do it in a responsible way, yeah, 556 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: or or not everybody can do like h Like in 557 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight when Dorito's used the observatory in 558 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: small bar to being a commercial forty two light years 559 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: across the galaxy. So that was a little disappointing. Yeah, 560 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: I have a metaphorical tier just going down the pace 561 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: right now. But it's just so sad, and I guess 562 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: that's why you need space lawyers right not just to 563 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 1: to um take up litigation over disputes among astronauts, but 564 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: to possibly say, hey, that you know you're violating Code 565 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: xx j Y seven. Don't please three thats don't do 566 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: that again. UM. To go back briefly to Paul Davies. 567 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: Davies is actually on a on set. He's a he's 568 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: actually the chair of st he's a post Detection task group. 569 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: And UM, so the idea of being that if we 570 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: detect human life, then they call up like the task force, 571 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: and Davies and company like march into like a I guess, 572 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: like a special control room and start you know, figuring 573 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: out what they're gonna say. But I read an interview 574 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: where where Davies pointed out what he thought were like 575 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: the key things to hit and during you know, any 576 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 1: kind of communication with an alien civilization. And and he 577 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 1: said that you you want to hit the number one. 578 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 1: There's no um, you know, single government on the planet, 579 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 1: which I guess is good in case they're like, you know, 580 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: they just tune in and just you know catch something 581 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: out of like a really destabilized region, you know, or 582 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: some like or you know, you know, you can use 583 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 1: your imagination any you know, corner of the world that 584 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: is maybe not the best. Uh. Well, I guess every corner, 585 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 1: no corner of the world is like a good representation 586 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,479 Speaker 1: of the whole. So you wouldn't you know, want them 587 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 1: to give that impression, you know. Um. And then also, no, 588 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: there's no unitary political philosophy or ideology again, you know, 589 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: if they were just to tune in and just like 590 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 1: you know, pick any religion, pick any you know, um 591 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: political party in the world, and you can probably pick 592 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 1: out some really extreme things that would you know, make 593 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: them raise an eyebrow or whatever the alien you know 594 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: equivalent is. Uh. And then he also said that it 595 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: would be important to stress that we're a great place 596 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: for freedom, if not anarchy. Uh. And so that we're 597 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: and that we're putting we'd want to put together, you know, 598 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:32,360 Speaker 1: like the best possible coherent package about what we are. 599 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: You know. Again, it would be kind of like, you know, 600 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: not saying we don't have wars, but here's an example 601 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,320 Speaker 1: of what's great about us to be like a users manual. Yeah, 602 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:43,640 Speaker 1: here's Earth and human beings and this is how we work. Yeah, 603 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: it's like, here's here's a list, this is us words 604 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: at all. But here's we're gonna highlight some stuff that's 605 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 1: really good, you know, like you know, you highlight the 606 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 1: music and the art and the humanitarian stuff, but don't 607 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: like cross you know, it doesn't need to look like 608 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: a like a declassified CIA document where you've you've you've 609 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: marked out every horrible thing that done. And and then 610 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: I guess too, it wouldn't be like the onions are 611 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 1: dumb world either. We want to take out some of 612 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,719 Speaker 1: the sarcasm. But one thing that Davy is also stressed 613 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,960 Speaker 1: is that he thinks that in communicating with another another, 614 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: you know, civilization, it's kind of like that the whole 615 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: we were talking about the weather being like the one 616 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: thing that we would have in common with the stranger 617 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: and the elevator, Well, Davy says, the one thing we 618 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 1: would have in common with this, uh, this galactic stranger, 619 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 1: it would be mathematics. So all these things that we 620 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: just listed, we'd have to somehow find a way to 621 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: communicate them through pure mathematics, which is quite a challenge. Yeah, 622 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: and again that's I think this is why study is 623 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,840 Speaker 1: thinking about this now and inviting so many people into 624 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: the conversation. Um artist, musicians, astrophysicists, UM, anybody to say 625 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 1: what is what is the common language that we can 626 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,239 Speaker 1: speak in? UM? And I do think the music thing 627 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 1: is really interesting. But again, right if you don't have 628 00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: a context, but music is based on mathematics, and what 629 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: sort of mathematics would they be using anyway? UM? Again 630 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: would it would our mathematics look so um primitive that 631 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: it would just be like, what what are these scratchings here? 632 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 1: I really like the idea of the future where all 633 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,239 Speaker 1: communications with an alien species are conducted by like really 634 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:24,759 Speaker 1: talented DJs. So it's like you want to you want 635 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 1: to convey a certain feeling that we have, like he goes, 636 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,160 Speaker 1: guy goes in, like grabs records and starts like mixing 637 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: stuff together. I left that too. I like your idea 638 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:37,600 Speaker 1: of that you did this with the unit hemispheric um brains, 639 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: where if if you were only using one side of 640 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 1: your brain. I think that you wanted to have some 641 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 1: sort of system where you could tell people like, hey, 642 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 1: don't don't ask me a really hard question right now, 643 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,759 Speaker 1: I can't have my brain. So I'm liking this too. Yeah, 644 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:52,880 Speaker 1: I think that music could be a wonderful way to 645 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:57,160 Speaker 1: for us to try to communicate with each other. Well, you, uh, 646 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,400 Speaker 1: everybody listening out there, you have to tell us what 647 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 1: you think you're, if you're human or if you're an alien. 648 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:03,960 Speaker 1: I don't know, I just putting that out there. We 649 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: might have some alien listeners. Yeah, d D D d D, 650 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:16,560 Speaker 1: thanks for listening. For more on this and thousands of 651 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:20,239 Speaker 1: other topics, visit how stuff works dot com, the house 652 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:22,359 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. My phone app is coming soon. 653 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:26,280 Speaker 1: Get access to our content in a new way, articles, videos, 654 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: and more all on the go. Check out the latest 655 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 1: podcasts and blog post and see what we're saying on 656 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,759 Speaker 1: Facebook and Twitter. Coming soon to iTunes