One clear evening, one of the mainstream TV channels interested me in a screening of the movie New Beginning , where a linguistic expert is recruited to find a way to communicate with an alien civilization visiting our planet. The issues of exploring unknown scripts and the artificial atmosphere on the alien ship that were highlighted there moved my brain ganglia, focusing their processing power on reflecting on a certain issue. What obstacles must be considered when it comes to actually meeting the stellar travelers?
Laughter after microscopic
The worst is the opponent you can’t see. Given what is happening around us today, no one should doubt this statement (not to mention the unequal battle of allergy sufferers versus allergens). Viruses and parasitic microorganisms can knock down even the largest dead bodies, breaking through the immune systems and the constantly developing medicine. However, can an inhabitant of a distant planet be fully prepared for what will attack him on Earth? Even if they asked people for an inventory of micro-threats first, they certainly wouldn’t get a complete list of what they might encounter. After all, there is no shortage of tiny organisms that are neutral to us, or even useful and useful. What is not a threat to us, so we don’t even pay much attention to it, however, it may turn out to be truly deadly for a foreign organism that is closest to our fauna and flora. Distant visitors would have to start their arrival with very careful research and the use of really tight suits, but in the following points I will show that it would not have to be easy.
Gentlemen, we’ll get along somehow
The production I mentioned at the beginning showed us what the process of getting to know each other’s scriptures looks more or less like. The fact is, guessing the meaning of the graphical representation of a foreign language, with minimal possibilities of finding a common point of reference, is very difficult, but not impossible, as is the case with the spoken word. But what if the newcomers do not use such forms of communication at all? Perhaps they convey their thoughts and views through popular telepathy? What if they do it by means of movements or vibrations of their own body, or by changing its colors like a chameleon? In these cases, it is still possible to guess the mode of action, but the contact by radiation or chemical reactions cannot be ruled out, which can only be detected with the use of specialized equipment. How to discover it? Treat guests from a galaxy far away with all sorts of machines until we finally hit the right one blindly? And when we succeed, will we have the technological possibility to use it? There may be even more variables here than in the previous paragraph.
Mendeleev sets a trap
The way to get along can finally be discovered, and to protect against microflora with appropriate equipment and suits, but these may encounter another obstacle, which is the Federal Republic of Germany’s favorite export commodity, i.e. chemistry (older readers, please do not argue that these are more often works of wiped cinematography, because it has long been out of date … A friend said!) Yes, it is obvious that any environment will have harmful compounds that must be avoided or safe, but can become a threat if misused, such as lung breathing water, but with interstellar adventurers, not everything can be that simple. It is not said that the composition of the air will not be corrosive to foreign suits, space ships will not be made of uranium, and the alien’s skin will not start to boil when touched by our body. It is true that the chemical composition can be tested much easier, although the question arises again, will the measuring equipment also have a problem with it?
Since there was already biology and chemistry, let’s not forget about the last of the trio of natural sciences (there is also geography, but I don’t like it), that is physics. After all, before an alien civilization lands on our water-earth ball, it should consider whether it will be able to deal with such issues as gravity, pressure, force of winds and sea currents, landing surface density, daily temperatures, seasons of the year, humidity, etc. in case, checking all aspects is much easier. Ba! We already do it without major problems, even with planets that we have not colonized with robots.
I still believe in the inner goodness of people
The last but no less important element that can cause a communication problem is what we create. While the question of how to communicate is a purely technical problem, so is the social use of language. Many gestures, natural reflexes, tones of voice or eye contact are perceived differently even between the inhabitants of the Earth, who have so much in common. Who knows if for such an alien laughter, which is a natural reaction, sometimes difficult to control, will not turn out to be an expression of the highest contempt, and the duck spout automatically appearing in front of the camera lens will not be perceived as an invitation to annihilate (hopefully), putting innocent lentil eaters in an unfavorable light? Cultural differences can reach even those aspects that are obvious to us, more related to the nature of our species. Can mere walking and blinking be interpreted as a specific message? Who knows?
Of course, we cannot forget about the technology that surrounds us. Of course, probably everyone will think about the difference in the way the machines work, but this is barely the clearly visible tip of the iceberg. Because tell for yourself, are we sure how foreign organisms will react to ubiquitous magnetic fields and radio waves? Won’t Wi-Fi cause tentacle cancer? Maybe pollution and smog will turn out to be the delicacy of celebrity guests, and the terrible 5G lurking with depopulation possibilities will be the perfect counterpart to our blue pill?
A completely different structure, technology, culture and native conditions, although obvious, can reach much deeper in their differences than one might suppose. The biggest problem is those elements that we take for granted, based on our own experience, known rules and what is obvious to us, as this can lull our attention, making us skip what will prove to be crucial for a foreign civilization. In such a case, one must constantly remember that the stellar neighbors may rely on completely different axioms, being so different from us that they are beyond our imagination, like inventing a new color. Am I right or maybe the universe is more schematic and I am exaggerating? We will only know this when we finally meet someone, even if we are the first species of all,
