There is good evidence that a cetacean's sound repertoire is as
complex as
our own, indicating language. Yet we still haven't a clue what
they're
'talking' about. If we can't decode what an alien species is saying
that
evolved on the same planet as us, imagine how much more difficult it
will be
to communicate with species from completely alien worlds.
paul, i am surprised at how often i hear this argument. alien
intelligences could
send us black and white photos of themselves, newsprint style, using a long
string of binary digits. i dont think the whales have ever attemped such a
thing.
i suspect that when we finally do receive signals from the cosmos, they will
be
easy to understand, by careful design. gj