Scientists say they have had "conversation" with whale. They also say the chat could help them to one day talk to aliens. The scientists are from University of California, Alaska Whale Foundation, and SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence). three organizations teamed up and spoke to humpback whale named Twain. They spoke to her in "humpback language" for 20 minutes. Their conversation took place after the scientists sent "contact call" into the ocean off coast of Alaska. Twain heard the call and responded. She swam to research boat and chatted. SETI said it was first ever communication between humans and humpback whales.
The scientists say their conversation with Twain was not deep one. Professor Brenda McCowan said it was more like series of greetings. Whales use contact calls to let other whales know where they are. The scientists made same call 36 times over 20-minute period. Each time, Twain responded by calling back. She even matched intervals between each call researchers made. Professor McCowan told Business Insider website that her research could make it easier to talk to aliens. She said: "There are diverse intelligences on this planet. By studying them, we can better understand what alien intelligence might be like because they are not going to be exactly like ours."
