IF YOU MEET AN ALIEN IN SPACE, DON’T PANIC!

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1:00The will to survive. It's the basic definition of life itself. His idea is to make them feel like their survival is under threat because as he puts it, they'll understand that. Essentially, it's like tapping on a fish tank to see if the fish are awake, except these fish... Low energy, unfocused, foggy, you might be dehydrated. Gatorade zero powders have been scientifically designed to help improve hydration balance in the body, with a clinically proven electrolyte blend and no artificial colors or flavors. Great tasting hydration, no matter where you're going, shop now online or at retailers nationwide. Gatorade hydrates better than water. Is it in you? Symptoms noted are signs of mild to moderate dehydration, consult a healthcare professional if symptoms persist. Do you hear that? That sound, right? That means that summer's officially here. It means that grown adults just sprint into the street for a frozen dessert shape like a cartoon. But this summer, Mint Mobile has a better treat. Every plan, including unlimited, is $15 a month. And unlike ice cream, it won't drip down your wrist

2:01or look nothing like the picture. Does anyone have any cash? Give it a try at minmoble.com slash switch. Up from payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12-planned plan required, $15 per month equivalent to taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes, me slow, when network is busy, see terms. Might be armed with laser beams, but hold on. This idea isn't about actually hurting anyone. What Kowsky's whole point is that survival is a language that surpasses biology or culture. If aliens perceive us as a threat, it might actually open the door to showing them we're capable of cooperation too. Once we've got their attention, we might even find common ground in the basic instinct to stay alive. Sounds like nihilism to me. But before you start picturing what Kowsky is some kind of evil sci-fi villain, let's clear that up. He's anything but. Think of him more like a philosopher-meet scientist. Calm, introspective, and all about exploring ways to create understanding. He's traveled the world, mastered about a dozen languages and dedicated his career to studying how AI systems cooperate.

3:03If anyone's got a shot at cracking the code of alien communication, it's this guy. Still, not everyone's convinced by his poke the aliens approach. For decades, scientists have been discussing the theory that math and physics could act as a universal language. The idea is that if we beam a signal containing something like prime numbers, the aliens would recognize it as intelligent. After all, a prime number is a prime number. Whether you're in the Milky Way or Andromeda, right? Well, perhaps not. Carl Sagan, an American astronomer and planetary scientist, once tested this idea by handing a coded message to talented scientists at a party and asking them to decode it. Spoiler, they failed. And if humans can't crack a supposedly universal message, what makes us think aliens would? Then there's the old debate about whether we should even want to meet extraterrestrials in the first place. Many CETI-AKA search for extraterrestrial intelligence researchers are optimistic, arguing that any civilization advanced enough to travel between stars

4:03must also be peaceful. After all, they need to have avoided destroying themselves to reach that point. Plus, let's face it. Earth probably doesn't have anything they can't find somewhere else in the galaxy. Mining our planet for resources when there are countless uninhabited planets out there just seems like bad economics. But not everyone's so sure. Some argue that the galaxy might still be a survival of the fittest kind of place, where the most aggressive civilizations end up on top. Even if most aliens are peaceful, who's to say there aren't a few space pirates out there looking for trouble? On the other hand, what if aliens aren't here to conquer us? But to study us? Maybe their way of reaching out is by testing our survival instincts, kind of like saying, hey, let's see what you're made of. To them, it might not seem hostile at all, a version of a handshake, even if it feels like a punch to us. So what do we do if that day ever comes? There's no perfect answer. Some scientists will keep sending out math problems into space

5:04hoping for a friendly reply. Others might be more open to riskier strategies like survival-based mind games. Either way, first contact is bound to be a scenario unlike anything we've ever faced. And if you were in charge, would you try with Kowski's approach and poke the alien bear to start a conversation? Or would you play it safe? And hope they send us a, we come in peace, message first.