Disclosure Day and the science of alien language

What if the first message from an alien civilization isn’t a greeting, but a mathematical equation? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman explores the science behind alien communication through a conversation with linguist Jeffrey Punsky, who studies both real human languages and the fictional ones imagined in sci-fi. The discussion centers on the new film *Disclosure Day*, which blends human empathy with cold math as the key to interstellar dialogue. Punsky reveals that while Hollywood often defaults to human-like alien physiology and Western European sound systems, real alien languages could be built on entirely different modalities—like smell or touch—making communication far more complex than we imagine. He argues that math remains our best bet for a universal language, not because it’s inherently more logical, but because it’s a necessary foundation for any advanced technology. Yet he warns that even math might fail if the alien species perceives time, space, or meaning in ways utterly foreign to us. The episode challenges the assumption that language must be spoken or written, reminding us that sign languages and even olfactory signals are fully valid forms of communication—opening the door to the possibility that aliens might communicate in ways we can’t yet conceive.