Access
This article is part of Nature's premium content.
Published online 1 September 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040830-4
News
ET write home
Mail, not phone, might be best for interstellar messages.
If an extra terrestrial wanted to send a field report describing all she had learned about Earth, she might be better off writing rather than phoning. A new analysis has concluded that a physical object would be a more efficient way to send a long message to the stars than a beam of radio waves.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Comments
Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email redesign@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.