Dolphins,humans & Extra Terrestrials

[Mr-X]

I was watching this interesting Documentary on the Discovery channel about Dolphins and their relationship with us and Ex Terrestrial beings.

If aliens from outer space were ever to contact us, one of the problems scientist would face would be how to communicate with them.  Scientist feel that if they can understand the dolphin language then they may (near future i hope)be able to communicate with an alien life for from space.

Another interesting fact is that the Dolphins DNA is much like ours, more than any land animal including apes.

 see the link below for more info

http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/dolphins.htm

                                          X

[Loonboy]

[blue]I guess communication depends mostly upon intelligence. After all, intelligence is what led to the development of language in humans. But communication does not have to solely depend upon language. Look for instance at how other creatures communicate: bees, birds, or whales for example. They may have their own language, but it doesn't always depend on sound and words.

Our own communication is reliant upon body language as a primary source of info, not language.

Why would it be any more difficult to learn to communicate with aliens? Learning to communicate with dolphins is probably a good starting place for developing communication with other species.

A new communication tool with aliens might well have to start with body language. We're gonna go: (points at himself) 'I'm Loonboy' for example. The body language comes first.

We can train dogs and certain animals, but we're not really exchanging ideas and thoughts, are we? They do what we say because they either get treated or get punished. We as a species are really quite rubbish at communication. We even find it difficult communicating with ourselves. How many of us have mastered our own primary language? None.[/blue]

[SpaceyKC]

        That's very interesting,  LB.  You point out some very interesting observations.  

        In fact,  I can just see you making 'first contact'.  But after pointing to yourself and saying 'I'm Loonboy',  you circle your index finger around your ear,  saying,   'LOOONN  BOY'.   (git it?)   ;D

           KC  (who's gone to find her   ???  sign!)

[Dakoda]

LOL, KC! :s2 :s2 :s2 ;D

[Loonboy]

[blue]There's a word for people like you, KC, a word.[/blue] :s3

[SpaceyKC]

            just one?   :s9

            (to indicate by body language what I'm about:

             hold up the index finger and point at the area above the ear, which means:  TOUCHED IN THE HEAD!)  :s02

[Dakoda]

Ah, just a lighthearted joke, LB!

But getting back on track with the initial topic...

Sure, body language is a large element of communication and interaction, but what about a species that uses a certain motion that another animal or human would misinterpret as a good or bad intention?

I don't know how logical this will seem, but here it goes:

If you were a farmer, selling peaches out in the south, and asked a customer (that looked like he wasn't from around your parts of the country), "So, do you still want the peaches?" and he gave you the finger, what would your interpretation toward that form of body language be? Is he saying, "Yes, one please!" or, "Go to hell, and take your peaches with you, pal!"?

Okay, bad example. But take staring a dog in the eye, for instance. The animal may take it as a threat, or think that you have the intentions of dominance or aggressive behavior, and will leap at you--even if you are unaware of the fact that dogs feel threatened by this kind of behavior. If the dog was faced with the same situation against a wild animal out in the forest, I don't think the result would be very diverse, would it?  :s9

[SpaceyKC]

           Dakoda,

     Good point about staring at dogs.  Body language is very important to their behavior.  I once read that if one dog meets another,  and doesn't want to be attacked,  that one will lay down and expose it's throat,  to show submission (Peace!)

       And after watching the movie (and reading the book) 'The Horse Whisperer',  it seems there is a vast amount of postures and looks that 'speak volumes' in the animal world.

       (and LB,  you know I was playing!)

              ('white trash' humor,  right?)      :s1

[Loonboy]

[blue]I agree that body language is specific to the species, but that's where intelligence comes into play. A species which could travel to this planet is not going to jump to conclusions about our body language. They will study us for a while to see if they can work it out. Maybe they already are studying us.

The word, KC, was: American.  ;D[/blue]

[SpaceyKC]

          Oohhh,  is it that obvious?   :-[

             

              (must work on that!)   :s2

[Dakoda]

Yes, but with the little knowledge and understanding of the existance of extra terrestrials, if "first contact" were ever to come into play, we are not familiar with the behavior of any intelligent life beyond our planet, and should be prepared for anything.

I know the movie was fiction-based, but I often remind myself of the scene in Mars Attacks in which the Americans, upon meeting with the little space men, let out a dove as a sign of peace, which turned out to be a contraversial symbol to the aliens, and began the war against mankind. :s6

Of course, there is no guarantee whatsoever that this could possibly ever occur, but it gives us something to think about and consider, right? :-/

[Loonboy]

[blue]Here's a thought:

...the preponderance of alien/Ufo accounts and witnesses describing brief encounters or sightings which have been reported throughout recorded history seems to indicate that we are very often visited by extraterrestrials who do not see fit to announce their presence publicly or to everyone on the planet. Maybe the reason for that is that they are studying us...

with the little knowledge and understanding of the existance of extra terrestrials, if "first contact" were ever to come into play, we are not familiar with the behavior of any intelligent life beyond our planet, and should be prepared for anything.

Firstly, how can you ever be prepared for 'anything'? It's impossible.

Secondly, what understanding do we have of the existence of extraterrestrials?

[/blue]

[Dakoda]

Let me make my statements clear:

"with the little knowledge and understanding of the existance of extra terrestrials,"--perhaps I was not definitive, but what I meant to say by what I wrote is that we do not know where exactly these extra terrestrials are coming from, how they came to be, etc.

"if "first contact" were ever to come into play, we are not familiar with the behavior of any intelligent life beyond our planet, and should be prepared for anything."--I've heard several rumors about there being a conspiracy which involved first contact among the American government and extra terrestrials, and have read many reports of UFO abduction cases (which obviously would have involved some kind of contact), but I'm merely saying that we should be prepared to recieve any kind of response during an "official" first contact between UFOs and our nations--not in the sense that we should have an army of a thousand men prepared with loaded bazookas, machine guns, and tanks--ready to fire, or a cage of white doves, gifts, and festive music--but in the sense that we should not raise our expectations too high regarding the reaction we may recieve from beings that are not of our planet.

[Loonboy]

[blue]Also we should consider that there will be more than one first contact. If there's one extraterrestrial race, there's bound to be a lot more. First contact will be a repeated event for each species.[/blue]

[cerberus]

it's interesting this topic links dolphins, humans and ET's.i didnt know dolphins were linked to us genetically.although, dolphins do not have total human characteristics, they are still very intelligent.i dont know of any link to from dolphins to ET's obviously, but if you look at my other points on ET's physiology,(on the aliens discussion) i think dolphins and ET's may somewhere share a common link.if we are linked to dolphins as they are to us then, could ET's be linked too.. not genetically, but in the way they may have evolved? Or here's a crazy thought....could ET's be a more 'human' version of dolphins? :sc :sa

[Kismit]

The magority of my work is with people who do not speak the same language as I do ., body language is an essantial part of deciphering what somebody is trying to say as I only speak english although I can swear in many many many langauges.

I ca not see to many problems with using the "Me Tarzan" " You Jane " body language ( of course Dolphins are obviosly at a disadvntage , not having any arms and all)

I think that an extra terrestrial race intelligent enough to travel great distances through space may well be clever enough to realise some earthling signals may be different to theres .

Analysing the language of dolphins and other creatures who's langauges are so inherently different to our own would create new branches of study for comunications and lead us away from the limited sylable / sound interpretation method used at the moment. Facinating Mr .X

[Bizarro]

there is a theory i have heard tossed around by evolutionists that dolphins and humans share a common ancestor. one group of our ancestor apes stayed on the land, the other took to living in the shallows of the oceans and spending lots of time in the water. also, there is a theory that humans are descendants of the water apes that came back to the land. that is their explanation for a dolphin's intelligence and also its DNA being so closely related to ours.

an interesting point about this is the fact that human babies can be born underwater. i believe the documentary linking dolphins to humans was called "water babies". a baby will swim at birth and has a sort of rudimentary gill system that will allow them to live underwater until they need to breathe air and the wax plug blocking the lungs is removed. humans also are the only mammal that is not covered in hair that is typical of other apes. our hair patterns are actually closer related to dolphins than apes, in that when in the water our hair design allows much more mobility than an ape or other mammals. scientists are puzzled by these connections and the documentary went on to link humans and dolphins in a series of interesting ways. i would recommend finding this documentary, its eye opening.

here is a page i found about the 'aquatic ape theory': http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/biol/EvolutionWeb/cafaro/

[Kismit]

Now that is an Interesting theory . just as an added note did you Know that human fetosus actually develope gils during the gestation period.

Where i work I often see dolphins they are wonderfull creatures to watch , the weird thing about this is the fact that if I haven't seen them myself in the day I will still know if they are coming in or not . I have witnessed the way they interact with people on a very regular basis for just over 2 years now , and these are wild ocean dolphins not captively studied ones whoe are used to human contact .

Nice one Dshwatrz very thought provoking.