Scientists have documented a unique behavior in humpback whales, producing large bubble rings while interacting with humans, which may provide new insights into non-human intelligence and potential clues for searching intelligent life from other worlds. The study, conducted by the SETI Institute in collaboration with scientists at the University of California at Davis, suggests that this behavior could represent a form of interspecies communication.
The researchers observed 11 individual whales producing nearly 40 bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans. This behavior is similar to the smoke rings produced by tobacco enthusiasts and is thought to be a unique form of non-verbal communication. The study aims to unravel the intricacies of humpback whale communication, which could contribute valuable data towards determining factors influencing the emergence of communicative intelligence in extraterrestrial civilizations.
According to Dr. Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist, “Current technological limitations have led us to assume that intelligent aliens will likely be interested in contacting other forms of intelligence, and may potentially attempt to do so with humans.” The study’s findings support this assumption, suggesting that humpback whales are exhibiting curious behavior, which could be a precursor to more complex forms of communication.
The researchers also note that humpback whales exhibit other behaviors that make them ideal for SETI-related studies, including their use of acoustic diversity and unique interactions with other marine animal species. The team’s study provides new insights into broader studies involving non-human intelligence and may offer clues for searching intelligent life beyond Earth.
This research can be seen as an attempt to find earthly proxies for extraterrestrial studies, similar to how scientists rely on extreme environments like Antarctica as a proxy for locations humans haven’t yet visited, such as Mars. By studying the communication used by aquatic species on Earth, researchers may gain insights into what characteristics signals produced by extraterrestrials might have.
Source: https://thedebrief.org/seti-researchers-report-potential-discovery-of-communication-by-non-human-intelligence-in-earths-oceans