Abstract
Communication is an essential asset enabling humankind to forge an
advanced civilization. Using approximately 31,000 languages from the
Stone Age to our present digital information society, humans have
connected and collaborated to accomplish remarkable feats. As the newly
dawned Space Age progresses, we are attempting to communicate with
intelligent species beyond our world, on distant planets and in Earth’s
far future. Absent mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic
conventions, this study, the “Message in a Bottle”, uses scientific
methods to assess and design a means of communication encapsulating the
story of humanity, conveying our thoughts, emotions, ingenuity, and
aspirations. The message will be structured to provide a universal yet
contextual understanding of modern human society, evolution of life on
Earth, and challenges for the future. In assembling this space and time
capsule, we aim to energize and unite current generations to celebrate
and preserve humanity.