Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In the new movie Disclosure Day, aliens communicate through a series of strange clicks and pops. But what could an alien language actually be like? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman puts that question to linguist Jeffrey Punske. We explore why fictional aliens in Hollywood and beyond tend to sound the way they do, what real human languages can teach us about communication and why math could be humanity’s best shot at first contact.
0:00 Introduction
0:21 How Punske Got Into Alien Languages
1:52 Alien Languages in Science Fiction
6:05 Communicating with Extraterrestrials
9:23 What If Aliens Communicate Through Smell?
Recommended Reading:
Steven Spielberg shares his favorite sci-fi story ever
youtube.com/watch?v=Lgpvo46YT68
What Disclosure Day gets wrong about the search for aliens scientificamerican.com/article/steven-spielbergs-disclosure-day-gets-one-major-thing-wrong-about-the-search-for-aliens
Join our Summer Reading Challenge
sciam.com/readingchallenge
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
In the new movie Disclosure Day, aliens communicate through a series of strange clicks and pops. But what could an alien language actually be like? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman puts that question to linguist Jeffrey Punske. We explore why fictional aliens in Hollywood and beyond tend to sound the way they do, what real human languages can teach us about communication and why math could be humanity’s best shot at first contact.
0:00 Introduction
0:21 How Punske Got Into Alien Languages
1:52 Alien Languages in Science Fiction
6:05 Communicating with Extraterrestrials
9:23 What If Aliens Communicate Through Smell?
Recommended Reading:
Steven Spielberg shares his favorite sci-fi story ever
youtube.com/watch?v=Lgpvo46YT68
What Disclosure Day gets wrong about the search for aliens scientificamerican.com/article/steven-spielbergs-disclosure-day-gets-one-major-thing-wrong-about-the-search-for-aliens
Join our Summer Reading Challenge
sciam.com/readingchallenge
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
