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mk  ·  4813 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Discovery of Dolphin Language
...what would an announcement signal look like to our radio telescopes that comes from a dolphinlike ET that has no need or concept of symbolic language?

Ha. Maybe the universe is the message, and we just haven't picked up on it yet. :)

But, my guess is that if there is a message that we can pick up on, it's right here, but we just haven't developed the ability to detect it yet.

As for dolphins, I have to wonder how assuming less for communication affects social interactions. If no one is likely to misunderstand you, is everyone more mellow?

I also have to think that they must modify these images to enhance the message. Maybe if you are mad at Sam, you project his image with a big nose." Or, maybe you exaggerate: "That shark was like, THIS BIG!"

I wonder how they deal with abstract concepts, like distance or time.