Movies have always wondered what would happen to humanity if aliens come to Earth. From turning into ruthless Alien, destroying all cities like on Mars Attack and even to shapeless masses trying to give us a deeper understanding like on Arrival. But that is just sci-fi.
However, believe it or not, there is a specific protocol designed by scientists that must be followed if someone finds an extraterrestrial signal. It was done by researchers from SETI Institute, an organization dedicated to searching for life in the universe, from microbes to alien intelligence.
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It has a full team of worldwide researchers and scientists that take the task of finding life outside our planet very seriously, and despite today there is no convincing evidence for biology outside the Earth, they have created a very specific protocol in case an expert believes has discovered alien signals.
This protocol was first done in the 1980s by John Billingham, a British physician interested in the social consequences of finding extraterrestrial life. That is why he outlined a protocol to be established if a compelling signal were found. By 1989, it was modified to ensure that neither side in the Cold War would try to monopolize information about any possible SETI detection. And by 2010, the protocol was modified by the International Academy of Astronautics to create a shorter and cleaner version, as a result, the Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was published.
In it, there are five outlined points on how the response should be and states that an international community of researchers and scientists should lead the communication and not governments.
This is what it says.
1. Searching
According to the protocol, all SETI experiments must be conducted transparently and its practitioners will be free to present reports on activities and results in public and professional fora.
2. Handling candidate evidence
In event of a suspected detection of extraterrestrial intelligence, all efforts must be made to verify it. It should be done in collaboration with other investigators and observations must be done at more than one facility and/or by more than one organization.
3. Confirmed detections
If the signal of an extraterrestrial signal is confirmed y the consensus of the other investigators involved, it should be reported to the public, the scientific community, and the Secretary General of the United Nations.
In the report, the observant must include basic data, processes, and results as well as conclusions and interpretations.
This information should be made available to the international scientific community through publications or meetings.
After the consensus has been reached, the discovery should be monitored, recorded, and stored as evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. This would help other scientists to make further analyses and interpretations.
4. Post detection
After the signal has been detected, studied, and monitored, a SETI permanent study group will support the scientific and public analysis by offering guidance, interpretation, and discussion of the wider implications of the detection.
5. Response
This is the point least similar to what Hollywood has taught us and it is because SETI wants it to be treated more like a scientific discovery than something that could lead to disasters or paranoia, that is why a response to the extraterrestrial signal will not be made without first seeking guidance and consent from the United Nations.
Of course, this plan seems like a billion years ahead of being executed, but with the latest technology, maybe humanity finding an extraterrestrial signal could be closer than we thought.
