What To Know
- The goal was to simulate receiving an extraterrestrial signal to provide the global community with a unique opportunity to collaborate on a scientific and artistic quest.
- Daniela de Paulis had in fact conceived this experiment not only as an intellectual challenge, but also as a reflection on what humanity might one day experience if it received a real extraterrestrial signal.
- By mimicking the potential reception of an extraterrestrial signal, “A Sign In Space” not only tests our technical and analytical capabilities, but also our ability to collaborate as a global society in the face of the unknown.
An extraterrestrial signal reached us from Mars a few months ago. Researchers have only just deciphered it.
Deciphering an alien signal
There is a little over a yeara fascinating and innovative challenge had been set to humanity: to decipher a coded message sent from space. This project, entitled “A Sign In Space”, had been initiated by Daniela de Paulis, artist in residence at the SETI Institute. The goal was to simulate receiving an extraterrestrial signal to provide the global community with a unique opportunity to collaborate on a scientific and artistic quest. The signal was emitted from the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on May 24. It was picked up sixteen minutes later by several observatories, including the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, and the Medicina Radio Astronomy Station Observatory. More than 4,000 people around the world began working to decode the mysterious message. On June 7, a father-daughter duo, John and Sarah, finally managed to transcribe the message.
Five amino acids
The duo first examined the encrypted message, considering that it might be related to a computational model called cellular automaton and more specifically Conway’s famous “Game of Life.” In this model, pixels can be “alive” or “dead” and evolve according to specific rules, allowing for the creation of complex scenarios from simple basic rules. Using the Unity game engine, John and Sarah subjected the message to 6,625 transformations to convert the seemingly random binary into something understandable. Their hard work revealed that the message represented a picture of five amino acids crucial for life. These molecules, fundamental to biology, were illustrated by blocks of different numbers of pixels: one for hydrogen, six for carbon, seven for nitrogen and eight for oxygen.
The decoded message showing amino acids. Credits: A Sign In Space
Why this message?
However, solving the message was only the first step of the project. Daniela de Paulis had in fact conceived this experiment not only as an intellectual challenge, but also as a reflection on what humanity might one day experience if it received a real extraterrestrial signal. After the initial understanding of the message, the next step is to interpret its meaning. Why were these five amino acids chosen? What do they symbolize? What deeper message could they convey?
To further this exploration, De Paulis invites the global community to join the Discord server used for the project. Since the launch of “A Sign In Space,” over 54,000 messages have been exchanged, discussing the various interpretations and hypotheses about the signal. The platform continues to host vibrant discussions and encourages more participants to contribute their unique perspectives. The collaborative aspect of this project thus underscores the importance of diversity of thought and expertise when it comes to solving complex mysteries. By mimicking the potential reception of an extraterrestrial signal, “A Sign In Space” not only tests our technical and analytical capabilities, but also our ability to collaborate as a global society in the face of the unknown.
