Astronomers have been trying to hear from other civilizations for two-thirds of a century. So far, not a peep. But finding E-T might be the easy part. Actually having a conversation might be a lot harder. We wouldn’t know what the other folks were saying – or whether they were interested in talking at all.

To gain some insight, scientists have been studying some “non-terrestrial” intelligences here on Earth – whales and dolphins – species that live in the oceans instead of on land. Many of them have complex communications with each other. And some of them interact with humans.

One example is humpback whales. They’re playful and curious, and they often approach boats and divers. And a recent study suggested that they might be trying to have a conversation.

Researchers found a dozen times when humpbacks blew special bubbles while they were near people. The bubbles looked like smoke rings, a few feet across. The bubbles were different from those associated with other behavior, such as courting or “corraling” fish. In most cases, a whale first approached the people, then moved away a bit and blew one or more rings. Some of the whales poked their heads up through the rings.

The researchers said the whales might have been trying to play, or to see how the people responded. But the bubbles could have been an attempt to communicate – starting a conversation between terrestrial and non-terrestrial life.

Script by Damond Benningfield