The idea of making first contact with an alien species is one of the most cherished ambitions of mankind. Such a discovery would revolutionize the way we think about the universe and our place in it. We would no longer be alone in our grand quest for understanding the mysteries of the cosmos. It would completely dispel any lingering belief that we are the center of the universe, that everything revolves around us, even the attention of our gods.
Communication would be the deciding factor, for we wouldn’t get anywhere in understanding our galactic neighbors without some form of it. Radio waves are thought to be the only form of communication possible between extraterrestrials and humans. This is because they are the only wave-form that can penetrate all the debris in space that would otherwise block less subtle waves, such as sound and light. Unlike sound, radio waves move at the speed of light. Theoretically, nothing would allow for interstellar communication better than these sneaky vibrations.
In the future, we could end up participating in a cosmic network of radio waves that alien species already use to communicate with each other across the whole universe. Should a first contact happen, it’s likely the extraterrestrials who discover us will already be part of such a network. By transference, we could possibly discover that there are a great many more species involved, and that there is a shared language among the vast number of them participating.
What should really blow your mind is the potential for a cosmic internet operating on this grand scale. If that were to occur, the radio waves would act like electrical signals between computers on distant planets, allowing for an infinitely large, albeit slow connection. Surely any species that can communicate with extraterrestrials by radio probably has the technology to build computers as well, much less have an internet connecting them all. But even if they didn’t have an internet, species that did would probably share this revolutionary tool for learning among the less insightful.
Aliens could then share content with each other via downloads, provided their operating systems are similar enough. The trade of information would be essential between species. As our globe is getting smaller due to a more globalized community enhanced by internet use, the universe could also get smaller thanks to the sharing of information by this cosmic radio-internet.
In the 100+ years that we’ve had radio waves, we still have yet to detect any extraterrestrial signals. This can only mean one of three things: intelligent species like ours don’t exist, which is unlikely; they already searched our corner of the universe and found nothing; or they are intentionally avoiding us for reasons we’re better off not knowing. Our own radio broadcasts have traveled about 200 light years through our galaxy- enough to reach about 1/20th of its size. This is enough time for any local listeners to realize they are not alone.
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