If we ever do make contact with beings from another planet, how on Earth will we communicate? We’ll definitely have completely different languages, and quite likely utterly different biologies too.
To avoid some potentially dangerous miscommunications (we’ve all seen Mars Attacks, right?) perhaps this is something we should start thinking about now. It certainly does not hurt to be at least a little prepared.
Some researchers believe that maths is a sort of universal language; a series of ineffable truths that are the same anywhere you go, including in outer space. They point to the fact that numerous species here on earth use maths in diverse ways. Their systems may not be the same, but the maths always is.
For example, bees, homing pigeons, and human beings all employ maths every day to get to where they are going and to do it efficiently. And while bees and homing pigeons do not talk about maths the way we do, they certainly know how to use it.
If aliens ever do visit earth, they will have to come in extremely sophisticated spaceships, so if that ever happens, we’ll be able to assume they are maths whizzes! So, you know, maybe we should start hitting the books and developing a maths-based language to reach out to them in?
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