The chilling new trailer for Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' has sparked a fascinating scientific debate. In the clip, a newsreader played by Emily Blunt is taken over by an alien force, emitting a series of bizarre clicks and chirps. This portrayal has led experts to weigh in on a pressing question: what might communication with an extraterrestrial intelligence actually sound like?
Could Aliens Really Use a Spoken Language?
According to leading scientists, the film's concept might not be as far-fetched as it seems. Dr Douglas Vakoch, chair of METI International, explained the logic to the Daily Mail. He argues that if aliens evolved on a planet similar to Earth, with an atmosphere, sound would be an efficient way to communicate. "If, like humans, aliens live in an environment where it is vital to communicate even when it's too dark to see one another, then they too might communicate with something akin to human speech," he said.
Dr Vakoch points out that the principles of sound are universal. The varied sounds of Earth's animals—from birdsong to elephant trumpets—all operate on the same basic principle of creating sounds that change over time. "It's through the distinctive patterning of these manifold sounds that meaning arises," he stated. Therefore, aliens wishing to communicate through air would likely develop a spoken language, though its specific sounds would depend on their unique physiology.
Intriguingly, the clicks used by Emily Blunt, which seem so alien to many viewers, are actually a feature of real human languages. Dr Vakoch noted that click consonants are a defining characteristic of the Khoisan languages spoken in parts of West Africa.
Beyond Sound: The Other Ways Aliens Might 'Talk'
However, scientists caution that the trailer makes a significant assumption. Mia Belle Parkinson, a PhD candidate at the UK Centre for Astrobiology, told the Daily Mail that we must not assume aliens would resemble us. "What if these beings evolved on a world completely dissimilar to ours?" she asked. On Earth, life has found myriad ways to send messages without sound.
Just as deep-sea creatures use bioluminescence to flash signals, extraterrestrials could have evolved radically different communication methods. They might use:
- Chemical pheromones, similar to many insects.
- Patterns of light or colour changes.
- Electrical impulses.
- Even tactile or vibrational signals.
"I think we shouldn't discount anything because the only example of life we have is Earth," Parkinson emphasised, suggesting that in a scientifically accurate film, Emily Blunt's character might just as plausibly start emitting light or chemicals as making noises.
Why First Contact Won't Be a Conversation
The experts agree that the trailer's biggest flaw is the very premise of an alien attempting to speak to humans directly in its own complex language. The vast distances of space make such a 'conversation' practically impossible. Dr Sheri Wells-Jensen, an astrobiologist from Bowling Green State University, was blunt: "They will email us, not crawl out from under our beds."
Dr John Eliot, Chair of the UK SETI Research Network, called the trailer's scenario "a sensationalised fiction." He explained that real first contact will almost certainly be remote. Communication is most likely to be a deliberate signal or beacon, detectable by our radio or optical telescopes like the Green Bank Observatory.
If a civilisation intends to make contact, its first message will probably be a simple, repeating pattern or a basic image. This would provide clear, unambiguous evidence of an intelligent sender. As Dr Eliot notes, such a signal could take millions of years to travel between stars, making a real-time dialogue like the one hinted at in 'Disclosure Day' pure fantasy—for now.
The discussion highlights the enduring mystery of the Fermi Paradox: if the universe is so vast and old, why have we detected no signs of other civilisations? Whether the answer lies in a 'Great Filter' that prevents species from reaching the stars, or simply in the immense technological and temporal challenges of interstellar chat, remains one of science's greatest questions.
