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  • ESSAY

Why did Earth’s first radio message to alien civilizations leave out half of humanity?

The Arecibo message contained an image of a man only. But what might seem a sexist choice deserves a more subtle interpretation.
By
  1. Rebecca Charbonneau

    1. Rebecca Charbonneau is a historian at the American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland, and the author of Mixed Signals: Alien Communication Across the Iron Curtain.

Night shot of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, one of the most important national centers for radio astronomy, planetary radar and ionospheric science.

The Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico was used to signal to extraterrestrial intelligences. Credit: American Photo Archive/Alamy

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As the electronic signals from our planet expand ever outwards into space, the world is marking 50 years since humanity broadcast its first radio message intended to get a response from the stars. No reply has been received, and none is expected for millennia, at least. But the form of this message, and others, raises questions about how humans see and portray ourselves — and about the legacies, scientific and otherwise, that any civilization leaves for others.

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Nature 635, 279-281 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03677-8

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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