Imagine Earth’s astronomical observatories detecting a signal from outer space—a potential message from an alien civilization. Such a discovery would ignite a global effort to decipher its meaning. In May 2023, the SETI Institute simulated this scenario as part of an ambitious art and science project called A Sign in Space. The message, sent from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, was picked up by three observatories on Earth and shared online for citizen scientists to analyze.
Among the participants, a father-daughter duo, Ken and Keli Chaffin, dedicated nearly a year to decoding the cryptic transmission. Their persistence paid off in June when they uncovered the message’s contents: a visualization of five amino acids, the essential building blocks of life. This revelation was announced by the European Space Agency in October, but the question remains—what does it mean?
The message wasn’t static; it depicted white dots arranged in fleeting configurations, visible for only a fraction of a second. While the amino acids were confirmed as the intended message by the project’s designers, its deeper meaning was deliberately left open to interpretation. Scientists, artists, and citizen scientists continue to grapple with its significance, engaging in lively debates through global forums like Discord.
The project’s designer, Daniela de Paulis, sought to replicate the challenges humanity might face if an extraterrestrial message were ever received. The team offered no guidance to participants, leaving them to untangle the data without any feedback, much as it would be in a real-world scenario. The Chaffins, leveraging decades of experience with mathematical algorithms and cellular automata, identified the amino acid clusters by simulating the patterns from the raw data.
For the Chaffins, the journey was as profound as the discovery itself. “The visualized message initially appeared as random dots,” Ken noted. “But through experimentation, it transformed into something unmistakable—amino acids.” Keli, initially hesitant to join the project, described being captivated by the vastness of the effort. “It was like a Rorschach test; we saw everything from biological forms to abstract shapes,” she said.
The cosmic message has sparked interpretations ranging from panspermia—the theory of life spreading across the universe—to a simple alien greeting. While the true intention may never be known, the project has united individuals from diverse cultures and disciplines in an unprecedented collaborative effort.
As humanity deciphers this simulated signal, it prepares for the possibility of decoding an actual extraterrestrial message in the future. And though the Chaffins’ work represents a remarkable achievement, the larger mystery—the meaning behind the message—remains unsolved. Perhaps, as Keli suggested, the message was just a cosmic “Hello.” Whatever the case, this extraordinary project underscores the enduring human drive to explore, connect, and understand the unknown.
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