What if the first alien intelligence we encounter isn’t from another planet—but from beneath the waves?
Key Points at a Glance
- Humpback whales have been observed blowing bubble rings during friendly human encounters
- This behavior may signify play, curiosity, or a form of communication
- Scientists are studying these patterns to develop tools for detecting extraterrestrial intelligence
- The project, WhaleSETI, treats whale communication as a model for alien contact
Imagine you’re on a quiet boat drifting in the Pacific. Suddenly, from beneath the ocean surface, a humpback whale emerges—then exhales a shimmering, perfect bubble ring in your direction. It’s not aggression. It’s not a feeding strategy. It might just be a message.
This stunning, smoke-like display is now at the heart of a groundbreaking study by the SETI Institute and UC Davis. For the first time, scientists have documented humpback whales producing bubble rings specifically during friendly interactions with humans—rings that seem as deliberate and elegant as any signal sent across the stars.
The team, led by marine biologist Dr. Fred Sharpe and SETI scientist Dr. Laurance Doyle, recorded 12 such episodes involving 39 bubble rings and 11 individual whales. What’s remarkable is not just the behavior itself, but the context: the whales chose to perform this complex act while voluntarily approaching humans. This is more than curiosity. It may be communication—or a test to see how we respond.
Whales are no strangers to bubble-based behavior. They use them to herd fish, to compete for mates, and to coordinate as a pod. But bubble rings—symmetrical, floating poloidal vortexes—are something else entirely. Like a smoke signal without fire. And now, they’re being aimed directly at us.
The WhaleSETI project sees this as an opportunity not just to better understand whale intelligence, but to prepare for the possibility of encountering alien life. Just as Antarctic landscapes help us prepare for exploring Mars, whale communication—especially across species boundaries—could help us build the filters and frameworks necessary to interpret signals from beyond Earth.
“One of the major assumptions of SETI,” said Doyle, “is that alien intelligences will want to communicate, and will target humans. Humpback whales seem to confirm that assumption—curiosity, it turns out, might be a universal trait.”
The implications are profound. These whales, living in complex societies, singing intricate songs, and now blowing directed bubble rings, could be offering a blueprint for what nonhuman intelligence looks like when it’s not trying to mimic us—but reaching out in its own way.
Dr. Jodi Frediani, marine photographer and co-lead author, helped identify a dozen whales across various global populations exhibiting this behavior. Despite cultural and ecological differences, the whales shared one trait: an apparent desire to play, connect, or communicate with humans. And in each case, the medium was the bubble ring.
“It’s like they’re asking: Are you paying attention?” says Frediani.
And we should be. The more we study nonhuman intelligence here on Earth, the more prepared we might be to recognize and respond to it elsewhere. Whether through AI, dolphin whistles, or whale bubbles, the search for extraterrestrial life is also a mirror—one that reflects how we listen, and to whom.
The researchers’ work is now published in Marine Mammal Science under the poetic title “Humpback Whales Blow Poloidal Vortex Bubble Rings.” It follows an earlier paper that explored interactive bioacoustic playbacks with whales—essentially, trying to talk back.
Maybe someday, as a distant signal flickers into one of our radio telescopes, it won’t be entirely alien. It might even feel a bit like a shimmering ring, floating just beneath the waves.
Source: SETI Institute
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