,,the ,,new ,,science ,,of ,,space ,,speech ,by ,vincent ,h4 ,gaddis ,how to talk to ,martians1 dolphins and creatures from the farthest stars--not tomorrow1 but now6 ,a giant ear to listen to the whispers from infinity is being built at ,sugar ,grove1 ,w4 ,va4 ,this #fjj-;foot radio telescope1 largest ever designed1 will cost #ajj million4 ,when completed1 its massive antenna1 covering #f acres1 will be trained on the mighty stellar mainland far beyond our solar system4 ,astronomers believe that it will pick up cosmic impulses originating in stars from #fj to #hj light-years distant--seven times farther than ,america's largest existing radio telescope4 ,meanwhile1 a scientist in the ,virgin ,islands talks to a frisky dolphin4 ,and the aquatic mammal replies1 imitating the man's words with uncanny accuracy4 ,and at centers of learning in the ,united ,states and abroad scholars patiently work over mathematical charts and word lists1 seeking formulas that will solve the problem of space speech4 ,these diverse activities are unified by a common purpose--to intercept and to interpret a possible message from outer space4 ,this signal across the vast void of the spaceways from intelligent but alien beings will be1 perhaps1 the most momentous event in human history4 ,it could come tomorrow1 or it may not be received for a century or more4 ,when it does come1 man should be prepared to reply4 ,this means we must devise some new method of communication that will transmit thoughts to non-human alien minds4 ,in awarding a contract for a space speech project1 ,dr4 ,dale ,w4 ,jenkins1 chief of the ,national ,space ,administration's environment biology programs1 stressed the great need for this knowledge4 8,we have not yet determined whether there are any communications directed at earth from outer space10 he said4 8,if we do make contact1 we will have to work out systems of understanding40 ,this understanding is an all-important requisite as man reaches out toward the stars4 ,understanding1 however1 will also have to be applied by man to himself when he joins the community of civilizations beyond4 ,once interstellar intercourse is established1 it will herald a new era in which man will have to recognize another species or form of life as intellectually his equal or more likely his superior4 ,a recent psychological study of the possible effects of outer space contacts indicates that it will deflate human egoism with far-reaching consequences to his culture4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the problem of space speech is two-fold4 ,first1 there are the techniques to be used in actual physical contact with other world inhabitants2 second1 the far more complex problem of exchanging concepts through the medium of radio communication4 ,suppose you are a space explorer4 ,you have landed on ,mars or ,venus and for the first time you are meeting intelligent creatures that are the products of a completely different line of evolution4 ,you possess five relatively well-developed senses4 ,if the beings are not hostile1 you must first determine if they have the same senses1 only some part of them1 or additional senses that man does not have4 ,for example1 they may have a sense similar to extra-sensory perception and communicate with each other through telepathy4 ,if you can exchange thoughts with them1 that is fine4 ,if you cannot tune in on their mental wavelengths1 you're in trouble4 ,the sense of smell is practically limited to attractive perfumes and repulsive odors4 ,taste has the same limitations4 ,touch has been used for communication between humans1 as in teaching the blind and deaf1 but it requires physical contact 7certainly a risky act when meeting strangers7 and is limited to elementary concepts at best4 ,the only practical senses--of those which we humans possess1 at any rate--for direct communication are sight and hearing4 ,if our ,martians or ,venusians have these senses--and if their reasoning processes are similar to those of humans--then communication could probably be established in the same manner with which we teach our children4 ,you could use 8sign language40 ,you could point to your mouth and move your jaws to indicate you thought refreshments should be served4 ,you could point to their head or heads 7if they had them7 and then at your own head and say 8head40 ,with time and patience1 a basis for communication could be established4 ,but suppose their methods of communication are entirely different4 ,suppose they use antennae1 like ants1 or gyrations1 like bees4 ,dr4 ,karl von ,frisch1 the ,german zoologist1 discovered that when a bee locates a rich source of nectar1 she returns to the hive and performs a dance4 ,the number of times she turns reveals the distance1 and her position in relation to the sun and the hive gives the direction4 ,this 8breakthrough0 into subhuman communication required controlled and sustained observation4 ,it will have to be the necessary procedure if man encounters creatures with similar characteristics with his present knowledge4 ,von ,frisch's discovery was a one-way avenue of understanding4 ,but if the ants and the bees were much larger and more intelligent1 we can assume that a demonstrative style of language could be devised for mutual communication4 ,to our scientists it is obvious that before our spacemen confront alien beings on a distant planet1 we must learn the fundamentals of developing communication with a non-human but intelligent species right here on earth4 ,and this is now in progress with 8,project ,dolphin40 99 99 99 99 99 ,bottle-nosed dolphins are not fish1 but aquatic mammals4 ,often1 but inaccurately1 called porpoises1 they are well known as clever1 frolicsome entertainers at marineland exhibits4 ,dolphins are by far the most intelligent animals other than man1 and their brain power in some respects may even be superior to man's4 ,the dolphin brain is #dj per cent larger than the human1 although smaller in proportion to body weight1 and the cerebral cortex--the layer of gray matter that originates rational thought--is just as complicated4 ,dr4 ,john ,c4 ,lilly1 a neurophysiologist and a noted authority on the mammal1 is in charge of the project4 ,the research is principally being conducted at the ,communications ,research ,institute of ,charlotte ,amalie1 located at the ,u4,s4 ,navy base on ,st4 ,thomas1 ,virgin ,islands4 ,dr4 ,lilly is working under a contract awarded in #aifb by the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration4 ,the contract is for basic scientific research 8on the feasibility and methodology for establishing communications between man and other species40 ,dolphins have a complex vocal language4 ,they talk to each other with sharp1 high-pitched whistles and they talk almost continuously4 ,dr4 ,lilly has determined that the dolphin distress call is 8an undulating sound10 with a rasping noise made periodically for range-finding4 ,interpreting the dolphin vocabulary will not be easy since the creature emits heavy breathing sounds and there are other masking noises4 ,in experiments with ,,esb 7electric stimulation of the brain71 ,dr4 ,lilly located the portion of the dolphin brain that created a feeling of pleasure4 ,the dolphin almost immediately learned how to turn on a switch producing the current4 ,for comparison1 in similar tests it was found that monkeys required #cjj or more tries before they attained their ability4 ,one day the electrical device broke down4 ,the dolphin1 annoyed at losing his pleasurable sensation1 began making a series of sounds in imitation of the laboratory equipment4 ,dr4 ,lilly made a tape recording of these sounds4 ,later the doctor played back the recording and in order to more distinctly hear the sounds he decided to run the tape at one quarter its normal speed4 ,it was then that ,dr4 ,lilly made an astonishing discovery4 ,with exaggerated slowness1 he listened to his own voice on the tape announcing the footage--8three1 two1 three0--and the dolphin immediately and clearly repeated the words in high-pitched whistles4 ,other tape recordings of what had seemed to be an unintelligible series of squawks and quacks1 when played at half or quarter speed with the sound volume lowered1 confirmed the discovery4 ,the dolphins were not only distinctly imitating the human words they heard1 but were compressing their mimicry as to time4 ,they were talking at a rate eight times faster than humans4 ,one dolphin1 ,dr4 ,lilly recalls1 8mimicked my speaking voice so well that my wife laughed out loud1 and he copied her laughter40 ,when one of the doctor's assistants who had a southern drawl talked to one dolphin1 the animal's voice came back in clear imitation 444 complete with the southern accent4 ,the next step--and it's a big one--is to learn the dolphin language4 ,the high-pitched1 high-speed chatter must be broken down into definite meanings4 ,dr4 ,frank ,d4 ,drake1 director of ,project ,ozma 7the recent attempt to receive possible messages by radio telescope71 considers the dolphin language study to be of great importance4 ,he says the project 8needs the skills of the radio astronomer in extracting signals from noise1 and then the work of the linguist1 and1 perhaps1 the cryptographer4 ,it could well be1 if the dolphin studies are correct1 that we have right here on earth another intelligent race that is even more alien than some we might encounter in space40 99 99 99 99 99 ,second1 there is the problem of interpreting and transmitting information through radio communication4 ,in ,april1 #aifj1 ,project ,ozma was launched4 ,the #he-;foot radio telescope of the ,national ,radio ,astronomy ,observatory at ,green ,bank1 ,w4 ,va41 was focused by government scientists on two stars in an attempt to pick up artificially produced signals4 ,the stars were ,tau ,ceti and ,epsilon ,eridani1 #aa light-years or about #ff trillion miles away4 ,they were chosen because they were similar to our own sun in size and rate of rotation4 ,the frequency at which natural hydrogen emits radio energy in space is #a1dbj megacycles1 and thus it is a universal constant4 ,dr4 ,drake tuned the receiver on both sides of this band4 ,day after day the impulses were transmitted to a pen that traced erratic lines on a moving paper roll4 ,but no repetitive pattern appeared that would indicate deliberate signals4 ,early in #aifa it was announced that ,project ,ozma was being suspended4 ,it is expected to be resumed when the new #fjj-;foot radio telescope is completed4 ,the failure of ,project ,ozma to receive a message during a few months in operation is no surprise4 ,in fact1 it would not be a surprise if no signals were received during daily operation for a millennium4 ,there are known to be at least #ajj quintillion stars4 ,focusing on one random star in the hope it has a planet having intelligent life beaming signals in our direction is like trying to find a specific drop of water in the ocean4 ,when a reporter during ,project ,ozma asked if there was any word from our remote fellow creatures1 one scientist told him to come back in #aj1jjj years4 ,yet certain factors may improve these chances4 ,advanced beings might periodically check the solar systems nearest them to see if they have company4 ,it is not unreasonable to suppose that there is regular cosmic conversation between greatly developed cultures1 and if we could detect a channel we might be able to plug in on the party line4 ,we can only hope1 however1 that they are using a method we can detect4 ,man has only recently emerged from savagery and is only beginning to look beyond his little world4 ,to the cosmic callers1 our most advanced equipment might be as primitive as smoke signals are to us4 ,again1 we might be trying to contact beings so entirely different from us that we would have no common ground upon which to build understanding4 ,they might not even respond as we do to the same stimuli4 ,their appearance1 evolution1 structure1 environment and thinking processes could even be beyond the limits of our imaginations4 ,but a signal could come--an impulse from out of the boundless abyss telling us we are not alone4 ,what would be the nature of this message8 ,and how could we reply8 ,assuming that our senders are using radio wavelengths and have enough similarity to us for mutual understanding1 we would first have to isolate the signals from the hash of natural static4 ,next1 we would have to 8crack the code40 ,the usual cryptographic techniques1 which depend on some basic knowledge of the language and letter frequencies1 would not be adequate4 ,we can only hope that the callers give us some clues4 ,scientists expect any messages received will be mathematical in nature1 since mathematical principles may be regarded as universal constants4 ,the message might be a simple numeral progression or the numbers of a constant1 such as the wave length of the hydrogen atom or the speed of light4 ,they might send pi1 for example1 the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter4 ,it's a non-stop number1 but we would understand if it was worked out to six or eight decimal places4 8,pi from the sky0 would be the story of the ages4 ,once we had received this signal for recognition and replied in equally simple terms would come the real problem of interpreting or devising a means for transmitting speed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,hans ,fruedenthal1 professor of mathematics at the ,university of ,utrecht 7,netherlands71 has devised a system he calls ,lincos 7meaning 8,lingua ,cosmica0 or 8,cosmic ,language074 ,it consists of teaching the meaning of certain sounds by using numbers4 ,the numbers would be signified by 8dots0 or 8beeps02 the sounds by radio signals of various frequencies and lengths4 ,to illustrate the method1 let us assume that the sound 8bloop0 stands for 8equal40 ,three dots would be sent1 then bloop1 then three dots4 ,this would be repeated with other numbers until the listeners associated the sound with equal numbers4 ,the concept of 8less than0 would similarly be sent by several dots1 another sound 7like 8tweet071 followed by a greater number of dots4 ,the reverse--like a greater number of dots1 another sound1 and a lesser number of dots--would signify 8greater than40 ,once these concepts were understood1 the operative signs like add1 subtract1 etc4 could be taught4 ,thus a mathematical vocabulary would be established4 ,next would come transmitting the length of our basic time unit4 ,the ,fruedenthal system would send1 say1 a four-second dash1 followed by the ,lincos sound for 8second10 then four dots4 ,using different dash lengths with corresponding dots and the same sound1 it is assumed that the recipients would observe that the length of the dash was proportional to the number of dots4 ,time concepts 7including universal constants7 would lead to teaching units of physical length4 ,upon this foundation of mathematics1 time and dimensions1 ,lincos develops an ingenious and extensive language for a detailed description of earth1 its inhabitants and our culture4 ,lincos1 of course1 assumes that the listeners are capable of understanding our mathematical concepts and that their reasoning processes are similar to ours4 ,it illustrates one great fundamental difficulty in alien communication3 whatever system we use1 it has to be devised within the limitations of our one-planet knowledge and experience4 ,the basic principle of association 7that is relating numbers to sounds to teach meanings7 can be used in other systems4 ,some form of association1 probably beginning with objects and sounds1 will be necessary to teach dolphins a human language4 ,one other fundamental means of communication is being considered by scientists4 ,this is the use of geometrical designs or symbols which would then evolve into pictures4 ,it would be most practical in interplanetary communication4 ,a picture1 as the ,chinese say1 is worth a thousand words4 ,in interstellar communication1 geometrical figures could possibly be signified by numbers4 ,thus the pi ratio would denote a circle1 three equal successive numbers an equilateral triangle1 four equal numbers a square1 and so on4 ,from this elementary basis1 a method of translating sounds into drawings could be developed4 ,this might take the form of having electrical circuits attached to pens or tiny lights respond to various sounds1 thus transcribing the pictures to paper or film4 ,the correct interpretation of whatever messages we receive will be of extreme importance4 ,an error could be disastrous4 ,we need only recall the difficulties we have had in translating early records of our own species to know that interpreting the signals of otherworld beings may be very difficult4 ,egyptian hieroglyphics were given many translations that contradicted each other before the ,rosetta ,stone was found4 ,in one example1 there were #ab different translations4 ,should this problem develop1 we can only hope that the other-worlders are friendly1 tolerant and patient4 ,then there is the time factor4 ,if1 during ,project ,ozma1 a signal had been received and a reply sent1 it would have been #bb years before we knew whether our answer had been received4 ,a reply to a message from #hj light-years away received by the new radio telescope being built would take #afj years for confirmation4 ,living languages are fluid4 ,as new words are coined1 others become obsolete4 ,definitions change with passing years4 ,king ,george ,i of ,england1 upon inspecting ,sir ,christopher ,wren's masterpiece1 ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 told the famous architect that his creation was 8amusing1 awful and artificial40 ,sir ,christopher was delighted with the royal compliments4 ,three centuries ago amusing meant amazing1 awful meant awe-inspiring1 and artificial meant artistic4 ,with time as dimension in universal communication1 we would have to choose our words with care4 ,the accelerated scientific progress of recent years will doubtless continue1 with new ways and means of cosmic communication being developed4 ,radio astronomy itself is barely three decades old4 ,revolutionary techniques in interstellar contacts may be just around the corner4 99 99 99 99 99 ,has radio communication with alien beings already occurred8 ,this is a startling possibility4 ,on ,august #bb1 #aibd1 the planet ,mars approached to within thirty-four and a half million miles from the earth4 ,radio broadcasting stations were silenced and scientists listened for a possible message from across space4 ,at the suggestion of the late ,dr4 ,david ,todd1 professor emeritus of astronomy at ,amherst ,college1 the ,u4,s4 ,government through diplomatic channels requested that all countries with high-power transmitters silence their stations for five minutes every hour from #aa3ej p4m4 ,august #ba to #aa3ej p4m4 ,august #bc4 ,station ,,wor1 ,newark1 ,n4,j41 reported receiving a word translated as 8,eunza40 ,other stations announced receiving strange signals4 ,twenty-three years later1 in #aidg1 ,gene ,darling1 an early 8ham0 operator and ,general ,electric ,co4 employee in ,schenectady1 ,n4 ,y41 said he and an assistant had failed to turn off a test transmitter4 8,it kept on sending out automatic code signals10 he said1 8and fearing criticism1 we never told of our mistake40 ,but something else happened during this #aibd test period of silence that remains a mystery today4 ,c4 ,francis ,jenkins1 of ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 had only recently invented a radio photo message continuous-transmission machine4 ,he was asked by ,dr4 ,todd to take a record of any signals received during the periods of silence4 ,the recording device was attached to a receiver adjusted to the #f1jjj meter wave length4 ,incoming signals caused flashes of light1 which were printed on the film by an instrument passing over its surface from side to side4 ,the film was in a roll1 #cj feet long and six inches wide1 and it was slowly unwound by clockwork under the instrument and light bulb which responded to transmitted sounds4 ,when the film was developed1 it disclosed a fairly regular arrangement of dots and dashes along one side1 but on the other side1 at almost evenly spaced intervals1 were curiously jumbled groups each taking the form of a man's face4 ,scientists at the radio division of the ,national ,bureau of ,standards and military code experts examined the film and admitted it was a freak that they couldn't explain4 8,the film of faces is a permanent record that can be studied10 ,dr4 ,todd said1 8and who knows just what these signals may have been80 ,there have been other incidents4 ,marconi1 the father of wireless1 heard strange signals in #aiba4 ,and in #aibh ,prof4 ,a4 ,m4 ,low1 famous ,english scientist1 listened to a 8mysterious series of dots and dashes40 ,ham radio operators have occasionally reported curious stories4 ,in ,,qst1 official organ of the ,international ,amateur ,radio ,union1 ,july1 #aiej1 issue1 ,byron ,goodman1 assistant technical editor of the magazine1 tells of a ham receiving strange signals4 ,certain unexplainable 8echoes0 were heard by scientists in #aibg1 and again in #aibh and #aicd while they were experimenting with the capabilities of radio4 ,the ,danish scientist1 ,hals1 and two ,scandinavian experimenters1 ,strmer and ,petersen1 received echoes from #bhj1jjj to #b1hjj1jjj miles from the earth4 ,dr4 ,arthur ,c4 ,clarke reported that in a series of tests in ,holland radio echoes of eight seconds delay 7corresponding to a reflector at a distance of #gdd1jjj miles7 were obtained repeatedly in #aidf4 ,what is the explanation8 ,dr4 ,ronald ,n4 ,bracewell1 professor of electrical engineering at ,stanford ,university and co-author with ,j4 ,l4 ,pawsey of a standard textbook 7,radio ,astronomy1 ,oxford ,university ,press1 #aiee71 has a theory4 ,he suggests that some of these echoes may have come from a satellite in orbit around our sun4 ,if highly advanced beings have achieved space travel1 placing a satellite in a solar system would be more practical than beaming radio signals continuously at thousands of stars for thousands of years4 ,dr4 ,bracewell suggests that the experimental broadcasts included trigger signals that caused the satellite to respond with echoes4 ,if the satellite's reply was repeated by man1 the satellite would probably release its store of information4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if man does make contact with a superior alien civilization1 what will happen8 ,recently the ,brookings ,institution released a report on this question4 ,the study was made for the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration at a cost of #if1jjj4 ,if intelligent life is discovered on other worlds1 the report warned1 the stability of earth's civilization will be threatened4 ,it recommended a psychological preparation of human beings prior to the discovery4 8,while the discovery of intelligent life in other parts of the universe is not likely in the immediate future10 the report said1 8it could nevertheless happen at any time40 ,this is the lesson of history3 ,when a culture is faced with a superior culture1 it either disintegrates or is changed drastically4 ,japan1 when it was opened to the outside world1 succeeded in adjusting to the new conditions4 ,the ,aztec culture collapsed4 ,our beliefs1 institutions and culture have been based on the premise that man is the most intelligent of creatures4 ,would we be able to assume a subordinate role8 ,perhaps ,dr4 ,otto ,struve1 the noted astronomer1 was thinking about this when newsmen were interviewing him about ,project ,ozma4 8,i'm not so sure we should even answer if we did receive such signals10 he said4 ,psychological preparation will certainly be needed4 ,dr4 ,harlow ,shapley1 the ,harvard professor emeritus of astronomy1 after allowing for all elements of chance among the known stars1 conservatively estimates that there should be a million planets with life-producing elements and conditions4 ,in all the vastness of space and eons of time1 there must be intelligent life in myriad forms seeking other intelligent life for interstellar companionship4 ,when the signal comes1 man will answer4 ,,end ,transcriber's ,notes3 #a4 ,this story appeared in the ,august #aifc issue of ,worlds of ,tomorrow4 #b4 ,the original publication used earth to refer to the planet ,earth consistently and man to refer to the collective ,man4 ,retained4