The article discusses the potential of interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS as faster carriers of human-made messages and artifacts into interstellar space, comparing them to the Voyager spacecraft, and explores the possibilities of detecting extraterrestrial technological imprints on such objects, emphasizing their significance for interstellar archaeology and future space missions.
The article explores the history and future of xenolinguistics, emphasizing its roots in science fiction and the importance of overcoming anthropomorphic biases to truly understand potential alien languages, which may be radically different from human languages. It argues that embracing speculative and imaginative approaches can expand our understanding of otherness, both extraterrestrial and terrestrial, even as empirical evidence for alien communication remains elusive.
A simulated alien-like signal sent from Mars by the SETI Institute was decoded by a father-daughter team, revealing a message representing amino acids, the building blocks of life. The project, designed to mimic receiving an extraterrestrial message, involved global citizen scientists and took nearly a year to decipher. The meaning of the message remains open to interpretation, with suggestions ranging from a simple 'hello' to a representation of panspermia. The project highlights the challenges of interpreting potential extraterrestrial communications.