A team of scientists from the University of California Davis has made history by engaging in a “conversation” with a humpback whale named Twain off the coast of Alaska. The encounter was part of a study on how humpback whales communicate, which could potentially help researchers detect intelligent signals beyond Earth.
Dr. Brenda McCowan and her team, known as Whale-SETI, used an underwater speaker to play recorded humpback “contact” calls into the ocean, prompting Twain to approach their boat and respond. The whale circled the boat for about 20 minutes, matching the intervals between each call they played.
The researchers believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and a humpback whale in its own language. By studying how whales communicate, they hope to find patterns that could apply to signals from outer space. The team plans to use mathematics and artificial intelligence to measure the complexity of Twain’s communication and understand the rules and structures in its messages.
The encounter highlights the importance of understanding intelligent life on our planet before searching for it elsewhere. By learning how to communicate with humpback whales, scientists hope to develop tools that could one day help recognize and understand messages from extraterrestrial beings.
This research is part of a larger effort by the SETI Institute to explore life beyond Earth. The team’s work combines marine biology with the quest to find life beyond our planet, using advanced technology to record and analyze whale sounds.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/ai-helps-humans-have-20-minute-conversation-with-humpback-whale-named-twain/