StarTalk Podcast: Cosmic Queries - Life on Exoplanets with Sara Seager

Is there life on other planets? On this episode of StarTalk, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Matt Kirshen dig into the search for extraterrestrial life with exoplanet expert and author of the memoir, Smallest Lights in the Universe, astrophysicist Sara Seager.
Discover what astrophysicists and astrobiologists are looking for in their search for life. Are planets rare? Explore the establishment of exoplanetary research from the beginning of the space race to now. Find out about hot Jupiters, what they have, and don’t have, in common with our own Jupiter.
You’ll learn about biosignatures and how long it could take us to find another planet that has life. What biosignature gases would aliens look for on earth? We explore how long it would take earth’s oxygen to disappear if all the plants on the planet got wiped out.
The questions from our fans keep coming, which isn’t surprising since we’re also celebrating the publishing of our new StarTalk book, Cosmic Queries. What is the probability of life in the universe finding each other? What would it mean culturally and scientifically to discover other life in the universe? How do we take into account the Fermi paradox and what are some of our favorite explanations for it?
What forms of communication are most likely to cross the cosmos? How would we even get past the language barrier with another life form? Could extraterrestrial life be too alien for us to recognize? You’ll hear about the ways scientists think other life may differ from our own. Is it possible to have a non-carbon-based lifeform? We also explore the habitable zones and whether life may be found outside of them.
All that plus we dive into what alien entertainment and leisure activities would look like, what we think alien senses could be, and other imaginings of beings outside of earth.
Thanks to our Patrons zach hughes, Bryan Hurley, Leona Shimoru, Syed A Bilgrami, Dan Snider, Shelia Hutson, Joshua Ratcliffe, Mick Pirgmann, Matthew Stares, and heyohriver for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
About the prints that flank Neil in this video:
“Black Swan” & “White Swan” limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

[@jimbee3935]

She reminds me of Melisandre. "The night is dark and full of terrors!"

[@sarenareth689]

The universe is cold and full of dark energy >:3

[@orazmyratrejepgeldiyev1478]

i dont know why but i'm very sorry for her students

[@ThorPalsson]

Another great StarTalk podcast. Truly thankful for all the work Sara Seager has done over the years, when we eventually find life in the universe it will be thanks to people like her.

[@ts552]

I see Neil & star talk, I click like before I even video starts playing... That is the level of quality & confidence of this series... Love it.

[@steve-o6413]

So what... I'm not being rude just agreeing with you that your opinion doesn't matter. I always watch first then decide if I like it and never rubber stamp anything eventhough I respect his Reasoning Abilities...

[@AMikeStein]

I do the same because chances are I’m going to like the video since I haven’t disliked a star talk yet.

[@vikingthedude]

I think clicking before the video start playing is the only way to do it

[@TK-ld1jj]

like how neil sound like he doesnt have knowledge on the subject to acomdate the viewers and expand their knowledge. i love sara she awesome

[@varyokh]

i have so much respect for Sara Seager she is one of my top 3 female scientists alive, she has a BRILLIANT mind she has SUCH interesting ideas and theories about alien life as well, idk why she was so.... timid here. probably because people bashed her for her comments in ancient aliens on history channel, WHICH she never said anything wrong she was just like "MAYBE, what if"

[@akshayjoshi7900]

12:08 Tyson's gears got stuck: So, ha wherdi howw whaa w huu hyaaa hwhaa?

[@zanna_417]

😭

[@StorymasterQ]

That's just him talking over himself.

[@Orion225]

I was waiting for so long on this topic...finally, missing chuck thou👾

[@lorddukfoxyzeppeli7921]

ME TOO kinda....sorta..not really

[@thepleiades6992]

same

[@lorddukfoxyzeppeli7921]

@@thepleiades6992 where is chuck

[@mjmcrae1168]

Yes. Chuck is cool!

[@kelvinsmith4894]

I'm getting better at how I explain things to myself and others just from watching NDT

[@lucas.hahn2027]

Just ordered the cosmic queries book! Can’t wait for it to arrive.

[@jsmithers.]

How is it? I just got the "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" book. Curious if I need both.

[@pumitriii6160]

@@jsmithers. same, how was cosmic queries tho Lucas?

[@SNRichards331]

I love how he got so overwhelmed/excited by his question about methane being or not being evidence of life and practically forgets how to communicate 😆

[@JohnyG29]

IRK, I also love the quaint way Neil and that lady pronounce methane. Its so cute.

[@kenbee1957]

Had no idea what you were talking about But I've just got to that bit And had to pause to laugh properly

[@kenbee1957]

You should always announce spoilers

[@spookyninja4098]

Hey Neil still denying the evidence of UFO encounters by the US military - thats Not science buddy

[@cloudrouju526]

That’s the genius of Neil. We all know the question he was about to ask, so why spell it out anyway, asking it the way he “asked” it made it that much more interesting and funny.

[@scottm2553]

Ah this is nice, no bad jokes... Its much more engaging.

[@jeffmullins1286]

I purposely don't watch star talk for months at a time, so I can binge watch

[@Mattball82]

Star Trek The Next Generation “Darmok” my favorite episode is along these same lines with Arrival and communicating with an alien race.

[@jfreshh330]

Does anyone else agree that Neil is the world's most interesting man? Forget the Dos Equis guy

[@gullebrus]

Him and Jeff Goldblum😁

[@Thecrazyraven.]

And you forget how great of a sense of humor he has until he has other scientist on that don’t really laugh and joke like he does ❤️😂

[@mjmcrae1168]

Yes! I could listen to him all day long.

[@killakaine1]

I'm not a fan of her energy, but her knowledge is undeniably vast.

[@callmevegito]

Mr tyson, im a big fan of your work, im 17 and i want to enter the same profession when im older, any advice?

[@sinenomine4540]

What profession? A popscientist gatekeeper?

[@callmevegito]

@@sinenomine4540 nah man, an astrophysicist.

[@chrisbrowning360]

Sara Seager is amazing

[@Eremon1]

Connecting/mixing the sciences and the people that make up the experts in their fields is extremely important to advancement. One can not make a cake with only one ingredient.

[@ButterflyAngle12]

Wait..... What...... Im so happy right now. Such smart people all having to conversation together.

[@womaninthemirror7369]

😍😍😍 never been in this early b4! Lol thanks for inspiring me to go back to university in my mid 30’s Dr Tyson! Nothing but love all the way from WA (Western Australia 🇦🇺 ❤️)

[@CeeBarrio1]

Why waste money on things you can study on your own and not be dictated to? You don't need "validation" to be interested or knowledgeable in anything

[@thescienceofcosmos9223]

@@CeeBarrio1 Its their choice friend, but everything is available basically for free.😍

[@Mrphilipjcook]

You guys are great and get such good guests 😊 hearing people talk about things they're passionate about is a real joy!

[@Carsickness86]

I have a question ( a cosmic query if you will): Since the universe is expanding faster than the speed of light, does that mean that if we were able to instantly transport 13.8 billion light years away, that we could turn around and watch the big bang? That there is a bubble that is the universe. and there is a bubble that is the light of the universe? Like blowing up a chewing gum bubble inside another chewing gum bubble. The actual universe, and the visible universe don't line up? Similar to how you could teleport 65 million light years away, you could turn around and watch the death of the dinosaurs. Can you teleport 13.8 billion light years and watch the big bang? And then teleport forward once again, and watch the big bang again... and again, and again.

[@steve-o6413]

There is more than one Theory on the Formation of the Universe, but if it's the Big Bang Theory you wish to loop in your Cosmic Quest look toward CGI viewing w/360° and surround sound. This will give you the next best thing...

[@Carsickness86]

@@steve-o6413 Thank you for the response. I'm not looking to view it personally. just wondering if it possible with the laws of physics

[@steve-o6413]

@@Carsickness86 nobody has ever fully tested the Laws of Physics from -10 to +10 factors that's is why they have Counter Theories, probably a over estimate, but it's a number I've heard before...

[@Carsickness86]

@@steve-o6413 I don't know what you mean when you say +10 or -10? All I'm asking is: If you teleport 65 million years and look at earth, you will see the asteroid hitting the earth that killed the dinosaurs. Or at least the light bubble of the asteroid hitting the earth. And if you teleported one light hour away, you could wait and see it again, and again and again, as many times as you wish. That history will exist forever as there is space for that light bubble to move into. Like the rings in a tree trunk: always expanding outwards from the center. With me so far? Ok, so what if instead of teleporting back 65 million years; we teleport 13.8 billion years? Can we witness the light bubble of the big bang? Is the light bubble of the big bang out there in the universe, just like the light bubble of the asteroid that killed the dinosaur?

[@felicityc]

Yes you could watch the big bang if you moved FTL away from the universe. You would see the universe be born, you would see the CMB as it began, you would see all sorts of unseeable things since even atoms were not a concept yet. This is presuming you are invincible as well somehow since the radiation would instantly vaporize anyone attempting to be a tachyon (see: when you are still or moving in your frame of referencing you are moving with light. if you were to move faster than light you would slam into the wall of energy like hitting water from too high up, where instead of a fluid, it is more like concrete). However, as for light, you should consider it more as if every event in the universe has a light cone. The cone, at the most basic level, is whatever photons are emitted by reaction of whatever. Those photons move instantly to their destination, but in our frame of reference it moves at c, and until the light cone reaches us we cannot be aware of the action- as it is still in our future and has not met with us yet. Your teleportation is equivalent to time travel. Really, the two can't exist without the other by virtue of being able to travel through time and warn yourself against being shot just by teleporting into your past. It's a problem with causality How exactly the light horizon works (hubble radius) is a bit of a mystery since, well, we can never see it until things calm down. Presumably since it is just the farther reaches of the expanding universe, it's exactly the same in structure. That is indeed the horizon of light actually able to reach us, and that has reached us. Your light horizon will be different if you started in a different place- but keep in mind you can't really watch the big bang happen anyway, whatever form it took, since you would not be in the universe. and that is a concept that is not reasonable or possible to fathom outside of scifi

[@raymondbreckman1774]

She has got it ALL going on. Really, a sight to see right here in this galaxy. I am compelled to type this for some reason.

[@agnivash]

Prof.Sara Seager is a sound bite champ 😁

[@diamonddbw]

Sara is very impressive, and quick with her knowledge based comments. Great guest. Very much enjoyed Matt too.

[@crisstryna_mma1622]

Thankyou Startalk team! Cm'on Chuck where you at?

[@topform5071]

Ikr

[@topform5071]

Him butchering every name is so fun.

[@murchadhmacleoid]

Yes. Where is Chuck?

[@live2ride18]

Thank you for having that comic on. Very enjoyable!!

[@sathanimations1457]

20:44 SHOTS FIRED! Chuck Nice is gonna be CHUCK FURY!

[@fajka1k]

Sara is hiding something.

[@steve-o6413]

They all are shush you're not supposed to notice...

[@tsaicio]

Yep. I have the sane feeling, especially after she answered on the Fermi paradox. Ants would easily recognize our presence, why aren't we recognize other civilisations presence? Why may be ants to them, but that don't make them invisible. So in my opinion she didn't have us a proper answer. The question is why?

[@negruali1]

I loved this(46:30ish) : " Sometimes I like to think about intelligent life here, on earth like dolphins or octopy"! Sorry Sara not meant to ridicule you in any kind of way. I just found it genuinly funny. Thank you for sharing your views. Gobsmacked by your guys work.

[@Andromeda-ph1jg]

Watching this before class love the episodes guys

[@McClarrenmetals]

I love how Sarah mentioned the 8 year old to be the one who finds life. I hope that little one was inspired!

[@jmanj3917]

Whoa! Does Dr. Seager have a globe of a black hole in her office? That's badass!

[@scottheath6074]

That black orb looks like a 'globe of the heavens': a representation of the night sky as observed from each point on earth.

[@JackieFrankieful]

she also has sun shield

[@James-ye7rp]

Come on now. Black Globes? Hah!!!! If Black Holes are at the centers of galaxies, they must be Flat Black Holes.

[@worradsahc]

It's a globe of the constellations of the night sky. I know because I am Sara's husband.

[@sullyloveheadshots]

We should explore more often the deep dark bottom sea we could find interesting things down there

[@Synathidy]

And sunken treasure.

[@michaelfarrell4824]

Sara Seager is awesome

[@SpaceGirlLovesTacos]

I love Sara Seager! I was excited to find her on this show!

[@muthuk]

Another thoroughly infotaining piece 👏

[@presidentofkenya6896]

I love Sara's personality. I hope you will bring her to the show again in future

[@svvashishtha]

What would be more plausible? Finding life or finding fossils.

[@mjmcrae1168]

Finding fossils. In our solar system.

[@pdxmusl1510]

My favorite answer to the fermi paradox. Is that we are first. In this region anyway. There's less develped life in other areas perhaps. But none with our technological level.

[@kenbee1957]

"If we go back before my time, even before yours....." 😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@teresarojas7998]

Even before neiiiil !!

[@hithansh1988]

34:20 Not me enjoying a cat in the background giving a cameo

[@musaid5647]

You are my favorite Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson , such an honor to have you in our lives to explain us Science in easy way 🤯🌍🌌🚀🛰️

[@bradleyberdahl6148]

She has got to be the smartest person alive!!!!

[@marvinkenneth5786]

Science is my favorite drug sometimes my brain gets the munchies for science 🧪😅

[@AMikeStein]

I usually get munchies due to the gummies. :D and science.

[@ramkumarr1725]

Great work on Phosphine Dr Sara.

[@jimcooper1251]

For that last question: if their atmospheric pressure/composition is different, then it stands to reason their music, should there be such a thing, would be substantially different to ours. Furthermore, they may have evolved to sense magnetic field of their planet like our birds do or see different wavelengths of light as our insects do. That would certainly affect their art e.g. there could be immaterial artwork made entirely out of magnetic fields. Or their paintings would be invisible to us since those would be comprised of colors we cannot see.

[@HeBeWorthy]

I really enjoyed the show Neil!

[@alleneverhart4141]

My question is how much of the Milky Way do we have to conduct negative searches before we conclude that the Earth is rare?

[@stephenfrench3888]

We could search it all and find nothing and still not know its rare Though i spose depends on what you call rare

[@tumenodnuud4101]

Reading her latest book wanted me to learn python and help her search extraterrestrial life in space. Hello from Mongolia!!!

[@jsmithers.]

Why does python matter for that?

[@chuysanchez8211]

@@jsmithers. I have the same question.

[@isetmfriendsofire]

I like her a lot, she has a very pleasant demeanor.

[@sauroros]

Great episode.

[@intellectual_idiot]

usually i like the videos inbetween but this one was so engaging that i forgot to like it till end ❤️

[@jihadjoe]

Not often you see a guest turn NDT's example completely around (whale in a glass of water vs life in a glass of water).

[@informph]

😂😂😂😂

[@ramkumarr1725]

Reminds me of this poem of Blake To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour

[@gmork1090]

@@ramkumarr1725 Unlike the poem, what she says makes perfect objective sense.

[@ramkumarr1725]

@@gmork1090 Yes. The poem is mystical and this is physics 🙏👍

[@ramkumarr1725]

@@gmork1090 I think Wordsworth "Ten thousand saw I at a glance"(Daffodils) is either High Definition Television or Image Compression.👍 That too would makes sense😀

[@alleneverhart4141]

My answer to the Fermi Paradox is what I call the "Field of Dreams" answer (if you build it they will come.) It takes huge resources to accelerate an object to relativistic speeds in order to get to another star in a reasonable amount of ship-time. If such a space-ship needs to carry enough propellant to decelerate into another star system, the payload can only be minuscule. If we want aliens to come and land on Earth so we can interact then it would be very hospitable if we can decelerate such a relativistic spacecraft to a stop. This would require something like a stellaser - a laser that is powered directly by the corona of the Sun that could be aimed at an incoming light-brake-sail. Without such a facility in our solar system, aliens simply will do fast fly-by missions ... and what's the chance of detecting that!?

[@markziegler5115]

Guys. Everything, comes full circle, whether it happens now or in a billion years or trillions of years from now. Life, will come full circle. That’s the highest probability of all.

[@jeffmullins1286]

" rapid fire, lightning round " gives a 6 min answer lol I love this

[@mouawyaa]

Amazing talk

[@saddozz]

I was literally thinking about him and he uploaded a video. Ah yes great video as usual:)

[@TheEtAdmirer]

We've come such a long way since Copernicus thanks to our scientists.

[@TTRoadzter]

Thumbs up 👍

[@topform5071]

Checking in

[@sindicite3566]

i watched and listened to this podcast separaetely

[@markpina7197]

@31:21 what if they’re like the deep ocean bottom sea fish in which can survive the severe intense pressures at the bottom of the oceans, except apply these dynamics towards space ? What if they are just unable to exit space in that way ?

[@knarfx4732]

28:00 the form is Mathematic like you said , but specially with the primes #s, Prof Carl Sagan.

[@MrCrazyman-tm1jn]

Nice!

[@jeffs6090]

We are so stuck on ourselves and stuck on the right now. Earth could have been visited multiple times during the time of dinosaurs. 100M years later, that alien race has died out and no one will ever know.

[@jsmithers.]

Chances are the next aliens will visit whatever lifeforms are here after humans go extinct.

[@bigj1001001]

the search is over we already know!!!!!!!!

[@MattIsntYoung]

Yes!!!! Matt Kirshen is so adorable 😅😍

[@steve-o6413]

I think he's getting a little more comfortable with the format...

[@felicityc]

My favorite answer to the paradox is that =we= are the civilization that will accomplish that feat and solve the paradox for other upstarts, if there are any. I simply cannot imagine a timeline where we would not have been found and visited, overtly if peacefully probably in the last century, if an expansive space faring civilization exists. Instead, maybe it's up to us. Dunno why we are so concerned with worrying about who hasn't visited us when we could be wondering about what we can visit ourselves

[@JesusMendoza-fy6xf]

I Smell.... *Greatness!*

[@James-ye7rp]

I have a feeling that if there is some sort of life out there, the first point of access to it might well be the Oort Cloud. The Oort Cloud would act as a Sieve for capturing evidence of life forms that might have passed by out solar system.

[@BenGrimm977]

Excellent

[@iexplainjokestomakethemles1560]

thank you our personal astrophysicist.

[@user-tc1fw5ms5s]

I'm watching this 1 year+ after it came out. I wish I could ask a question- their thoughts on the novel The 3 Body Problem.

[@aniqhamza7066]

Hope wel see something spectacular soon .

[@aniqhamza7066]

@tommy aronson im just 14

[@jorgetagle3778]

My doubt is, what about life that produces gases different to what we know? The complexity a variety of life is possibly limitless cause well we know carbon based life but what if hipothetically there were silicon based life or life based on other elements so I think it's a complex thing to define and identify

[@jaidsalgado]

That's what I always thought too. Like we might be looking for life similar to ourselves but there's probably other kinds of life

[@critophilippatos9534]

Alien astrophysicists could be looking for silicon based life that farts neon gas. You never know.. 👽

[@jorgetagle3778]

@@critophilippatos9534 exactly

[@jorgetagle3778]

@@jaidsalgado yup

[@felicityc]

Silicon is a nice idea but very unlikely. Carbon has very easy to manage bonds with other atoms, whereas silicon is very unstable and has several more possible problematic bonds that just do not work out well for long term combos I sincerely think carbon is probably the peak nature has in terms of an element to base life on, and any alien life we find will be somewhat similar but obviously very strange. If evolution got through our set of bacteria, plant, creatures, and legit there are already huge worlds totally unexplored in the microscopic cosmos. it's wild. don't even need to look for smart animals. some of these bacteria are crazy adaptable while having no brain. more than i can do

[@liamhinrichs4881]

If I could meet Neil deGrasse Tyson.... My life would be complete...

[@manasisnehal1572]

The thought of finding life on other planet brings smile on my face.. And with the launch of JWST we might be very close to this discovery.. It will change everything.. Even if we discover microbial life form... It will be such a big leap. We won't be all alone in the vast universe afterall.. It will be Mindboggling.. And it will also make more people interested in studying space and life. Eye opening for people who don't pay much attention to our existence in this universe. Their World will definitely widen. I want our world to widen.. I strongly think universe is flourishing with life... Because why it shouldn't?! Waiting for that day.. :)

[@jenniferjoseph1386]

I luv cosmic queries. I get excited about other beings coming to Earth, but now I'm really sad that we may never be able to communicate with them and they will never be able to communicate with us if they make it here. 😭 I liked ARRIVALS, but 😭

[@nmpspiky]

I want to colour that wall behind Dr. Tyson in half black and half white because white frame is blending with wall colour

[@adrianstefanescu742]

hello Neil, maybe someday you will adress the Younger Dryas Impact Hypotesis; i'm sure many of us await your thoughts on that.

[@terrywbreedlove]

We are finding all kinds of new planets. Are there any plans or talk about putting a space telescope out there that can look for in detail signs of life on one of these very distant planets ?

[@steve-o6413]

First answer the question what is Life...

[@aaronbailey3942]

They could monitor the gas over time to watch how it changed over time to see if it is produced in quantities specific to patterns that match life forms or planetary systems. @StarTalk.

[@czah2786]

this guy is a goat i learn way more from him then my 9 years at school

[@stonerainproductions]

I often hear the term "the fabric of space time" but wonder, what is that "fabric" made of? I know it's nearly impossible to find and empty section in space, but if space time is indeed a fabric so to speak, what does it consist of?

[@TIGERWubz]

I always wanted to hear startalk on this topic!

[@devynm5882]

JWST JWST JWST YEAAAAAAAH WE LOVE YOU SARA

[@aximilian15]

Will there be a Startalk on the James telescope or is there one already?

[@daviddavies5322]

Five STARS. thanks.

[@ZeroOskul]

3:43 Annie Druyan Pronounced: Any Drean (with "drean" like "dream" but with an "n")

[@ThoughtPhoenix]

Where the alien duck is chuck?

[@suvigyabasnotra7378]

Please do a Cosmic Queries Edition on 'The Science of Inversion' from TENET inviting Christopher Nolan himself and Theoretical Physicist Brian Greene...!

[@AMikeStein]

I haven’t seen Tenet but I love Chris Nolan and his movies, did he use another astrophysicist for that movie like he used Kip Thorne on Interstellar?

[@masaradon8448]

A minor point but I dont think hydrogen (H2) is a greenhouse gas... Its molecular bond can simply stretch and shrink just as oxygen and nitrogen, which dont have greenhouse effect. I just searched and found that hydrogen can lengthen atmospheric lifetimes of methane and ozone by removing atmospheric oxidants so it is considered as an 'indirect greenhouse gas'. But that should be true only under Earth's specific atmospheric condition.

[@topform5071]

I think we're looking for life like ours or what we think it should be and not something that is totally different.

[@steve-o6413]

True just like what we think intelligent life is forgetting we share this Planet with other intelligent life here as she had stated...

[@topform5071]

So true

[@KillerChickn]

@@steve-o6413 Intelligence isn't one thing. No other being on this planet has Human level intelligence. Nothing else is mining ores and refining them into materials and building telescopes and microscopes and studying the things around them but us. Why would we look for things we don't know are life? Of course we will look for life that we can recognize as life.

[@steve-o6413]

@@KillerChickn Yeah right as one Dolphin says to the other Dolphin it's so easy to manipulate Humans into believing that they actually think for themselves. How many Space Telescopes have you built. Did you mine the ore yourself, process it, build the Spacecraft and the Computers including the electronics or do you just make comments on the internet. Not to mention the poor guy who has to clean up after all those people that do all that work. Alone we may not be as smart as you think we are or be able to survive in Nature like the Dolphins and who really knows where our intelligence comes from, maybe it's just a implant lol...

[@gmork1090]

@@KillerChickn If dolphins and crows were big enough or have the grip dexterity to do the things you say comprise intelligence, humans would have a problem. Our strength is that we are generalized and a jack of all trades, aka able to do many things but excel at few. There are animals that can specialize in things our bodies and technology will never match.

[@brotherhoodofgame]

Notification gang

[@bigJovialJon]

Can anyone tell me what is the longest orbit we've found for an exoplanet? It seems to me that planets with short orbits are easier to detect, and that's biasing our results. Venus is in our solar system in our orbital plane, and we only see it transit the sun a couple times a century. How long would it take to detect it if we were relying on the methods we're using to detect exoplanets?

[@mehdibaghbadran3182]

It’s definitely science

[@okey3093]

As for the question of mathematic communication, we did have the voyager probe which tries to give mathematical knowledge through pure math

[@gmork1090]

True, but we sent it into a random direction that will probably be like hitting a golf ball into an ocean and hoping an ant on the other side of the planet will find it.

[@TheEternalPheonix]

What they should have brought with them in the movie Arrival is a linguist, a cryptographer, and an exobiologist. You need both the linguist and the cryptographer, otherwise, you're going to have an excessively hard time deciphering an alien language.