CREATING ALIEN ALIENS Part 37: Communicating With Aquatic Aliens? Impossible or Not?

Five decades ago, I started my college career with the intent of becoming a marine biologist. I found out I had to get a BS in biology before I could even begin work on MARINE biology; especially because there WEREN'T any marine biology programs in Minnesota.

Along the way, the science fiction stories I'd been writing since I was 13 began to grow more believable. With my BS in biology and a fascination with genetics, I started to use more science in my fiction.

After reading hard SF for the past 50 years, and writing hard SF successfully for the past 20, I've started to dig deeper into what it takes to create realistic alien life forms. In the following series, I'll be sharing some of what I've learned. I've had some of those stories published, some not...I teach a class to GT young people every summer called ALIEN WORLDS. I've learned a lot preparing for that class for the past 25 years...so...I have the opportunity to share with you what I've learned thus far. Take what you can use, leave the rest. Let me know what YOU'VE learned. Without further ado...

Obviously, I know Humans have been “speaking to dolphins” for centuries. Dolphins OBVIOUSLY know us and LOVE us!

David Brin even started his iconic novel, STARTIDE RISING like this: “Fins had been making wisecracks about Humans for thousands of years. They had always found men funny. The fact that Humanity had recently meddled with their genes and taught them engineering didn’t change that attitude.”

The assumption with this opening – as much as I adore the novel and the following five – is that Dolphins will think so much like us that they’ll find us amusing and will forgive ten-thousand years of slaughter and torture.

The website for DOLPHINS-Plus puts it this way, “It seems humans have always been fascinated with dolphins, and, arguably, vice versa. Ancient drawings and frescos featuring dolphins have been uncovered in the Bronze Age ruins of Knossos, Greece. Amazing tales of dolphin and human interaction have been passed down among island communities for countless generations. It’s also believed that some ancient civilizations saw dolphins as a spiritual connector linking the Gods and humans. There’s also no shortage of modern stories that support a meaningful and genuine affection between our two species.”

Really? Wikipedia: “Historically, marine mammals were hunted by coastal aboriginal humans for food and other resources. The effects of this were only localised as hunting efforts were on a relatively small scale. Later, commercial hunting was developed and marine mammals were heavily exploited. This led to the extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow and the Caribbean monk seal…[populations of] blue whales; the North Pacific right whale, are much lower…Despite the fact commercial whaling is generally a thing of the past…a number of marine mammals are still subject to direct hunting. The only remaining commercial hunting of whales is by Norway…the illegal trade of whale and dolphin meat is a significant market in some countries…”

The author actually justifies what we have done to cetaceans by having the dolphins explain to one of the characters that it’s OK Humans hunted them. It was how they understood the world – there were the Hunters and the Hunted. No big deal. Humans were just the Hunters and cetaceans the Hunted. And genetically altering dolphins to be engineers, have brains adapted to space, and their bodies adapted to have “tingers” in order to manipulate Human-style machines.

So…have we ever given serious thought to COMMUNICATING with beings evolved to live underwater? Have we ever considered constructing a radically different technology that does NOT depend on electricity or fire or even living surrounded by breathable air?

While I can’t say “nope” definitively, I can’t readily bring to mind an SF story or novel or series where aquatic aliens reached a point of creating a technologically advanced civilization that reached for and gained “the stars”.

As a matter of fact, WE haven’t even achieved “the stars” yet. We’re just planning on going back to our nearest celestial body after a fifty year hiatus – all the while stomping like Godzilla across the surface and in the oceans as if we’re Masters of the Universe! If you wonder how MUCH we haven’t done, read the first entry in my Alien Aliens series from six years ago: https://faithandsciencefiction.blogspot.com/2018/03/slice-of-pie-exploring-solar-system.html

So, how about I start with something easy? Stories, tales, and legends: “Amazing tales of dolphin and human interaction have been passed down among island communities for countless generations. It’s also believed that some ancient civilizations saw dolphins as a spiritual connector linking the Gods and humans. There’s also no shortage of modern stories that support a meaningful and genuine affection between our two species.”

Hasn’t anyone EVER noticed that all of this wonderfulness is STRICTLY from the Human point of view?

So, let me start with a “tale” from a Delphinic POV:

*supersonic sounds and flesh-penetrating ultrasound*

There you go, the FIRST Delphinic Legend! But there’s no Human from the past who would have any way of hearing OR understanding it. It’s in the wrong frequency for Human hearing!!!

DANG! JUDGEMENT ALERT! “in the wrong frequency” is a judgement implying that if Humans can’t hear it, it’s WRONG. What if in Delphinic, OUR frequency is the wrong one?

Do Tursiops truncatus (whose “Conservation status is ‘least concern’…(a somewhat arrogant judgement, don't you think?) speak the same language as Tursiops aduncus or Tursiops erebennus. Does ANY Homo sapiens sapiens speak the same language as Homo neanderthalis?

So, have Humans ever made an attempt to translate Delphinic language? As a matter of fact, yes we have: https://spinnaker-watches.com/blogs/deep-time-chronicles/the-language-of-dolphins-decoding-clicks-whistles-and-squeals “While researchers have made significant strides in understanding dolphin communication, much of their language remains a mystery. Ongoing studies aim to decipher the intricate code of clicks, whistles, and squeals, hoping to unveil the depth of dolphin intelligence and emotion.”

But is it MORE than that? https://spinnaker-watches.com/blogs/deep-time-chronicles/the-language-of-dolphins-decoding-clicks-whistles-and-squeals

“As we plunge into the depths of dolphin communication, we find ourselves in awe of the intricate language that binds these marine marvels. Clicks, whistles, and squeals form the basis of a communication system that goes beyond survival—it reflects the complex social fabric of dolphin society. As scientists continue their efforts to decode the language of dolphins, we remain ever more enchanted by the symphony that resonates beneath the waves, reminding us of the incredible diversity and intelligence that thrives in the ocean's depths.”

What IF, dolphins have been trying to figure out whether or not Humans are intelligent and have a language? They could no sooner eavesdrop on us as we can actually eavesdrop on THEM.

More distressing to Humanity thought, would be the question: "What if most dolphins don’t really care?"

Of COURSE the response of most Humans would be, “How could they NOT CARE about communicating with us! We’re the main intelligence on Planet Earth!!!”

Are we, though? Not. Not really. We occupy far less than one-fourth of the surface of this dirtball. In fact, MOST of the planet is NOT a dirtball, rather it’s more like a gigantic raindrop of salty water. “But they don’t have TVs, computers, cellphones, cars, restaurants, fashion shows, the 2024 Olympics! They don’t even have a CALENDAR to know it’s the 2024 Olympics with!” 

Apparently, they have, um...names for us: https://dashmacintyre.medium.com/biologists-have-translated-the-dolphin-language-and-they-say-its-filled-with-slur-words-for-9eb3c4ddb6a4

I think I have a lot more to think about on the subject. Surely, I have several dozen more posts needed to exploring NOT Alien Aliens, rather exploring Alien Dolphins…

Sources: (see above)

Image: https://aquaworld.com.mx/uploads/0000/1/2023/08/21/1-1323.jpg