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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arecibo message | 3/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:15:36.583072+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Computational analysis == Some researchers have analysed whether the Arecibo signal could be identified as a carrying message by some information theoretic measure that was agnostic in the sense that it does not know the particular shapes of a human or double-helix etc. Presumably such an agnostic measure would be all that any potential ETI could apply to this signal. It is also a useful testbed for humanity's own ability to detect potential extraterrestrial signals, as we would presumably be similarly agnostic about any shapes particularly special to the broadcasting ETI. Mahon (2025) described an information theoretic measure of complexity, the LCC score, that gives a high score to human language and meaningful images (such as photographs or drawings), and to the Arecibo message, while also giving a low score to random noise signals and simple repetitive signals. This measure also identified the correct aspect ratio of 73 by 23. Other attempts have been made with varying degrees of success. Zenil et al. (2023) also identified the correct aspect ratio and distinguished it from random noise signals, but not from uniform or repetitive signals. McCowan et al. (1999) described a measure called entropic slope, which could differentiate between random noise or repetitive signals, and meaningful vocalisations by multiple species including humans, but did not detect a message in the Arecibo signal.
== See also == Active SETI Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence (CETI) Cosmos, a 2019 science fiction film featuring a response to the Arecibo message List of interstellar radio messages METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) (organization) Pioneer plaque Voyager Golden Record Wow! signal
== References ==
== External links == Media related to Arecibo message at Wikimedia Commons