Aliens Might Not Do Physics Like We Do—and That’s a Problem

At Gizmodo, we love a good story the alien–Especially if it gives us a headache. Personally, I award extra points for bonus dad jokes.

Daniel Whitson and Andy Warner’s upcoming book, Do aliens talk in physics? and presents other questions about the nature of science and reality The best combination of all these things. The book imagines what it would be like to discuss physics with aliens, drawing from a variety of experts in the history and philosophy of science—including Werner’s delightful illustrations and physics puns and hypothetical doughnuts.

Co-author Daniel Whitson He is a particle physicist at CERN and the University of California, Irvine, as well as a science communicator and podcast host. The wonderful universe of Daniel and Kelly. Gizmodo spoke with Whitson about the philosophical nature of alien exploration and what it reveals about our own humanity. The following conversation has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Geyoung Lee, Gizmodo: Okay, so, do aliens talk physics? Is this question even asking?

Daniel Whiteson: I don’t know if aliens talk physics! That is why I wrote this book, to argue both sides of this question. I think a lot of physicists assume that the physics we’re doing is universal… the way we’re doing things and the way we live is the only way.

I wanted to push it back a bit and explore and make counterarguments and suggest that there might be a lot of humanity in the physics we’re doing—the way we think about it, the questions we’re asking, the answers we accept, and our path to physics.

Gizmodo: At the very beginning of your book, you present an extended version of something called the Drake equation. What is it, and how did you reimagine it?

Whiteson: d Drake equation A fun way to organize your thoughts about whether there are other intelligent civilizations in the galaxy. They have to have stars or planets, life that has evolved to develop sentience and technology, and they have to do it roughly within a time window so that we can interact with them.

It separates these features because they are separate problems. This emphasizes something really important: you have to have all the pieces to work. If any of these numbers go to zero, you’re out of luck.

But in the book, we’re not just interested in intelligent aliens. The intelligent aliens we want to find doing science We can learn from them as we do. Otherwise, it’s a very large space to explore, and all these things must come together for this intergalactic science convention that is my personal imagination.

Gizmodo: OK, so let’s unpack some of these additions. The first is about whether aliens do science at all.

Whiteson: Of course. It was hard to deal with. I think a lot of people assume that if aliens come, they’re technological – because they’re here. They have some means of crossing the vast distances between stars, so they must have a scientific understanding of how they did it.

But historians of science and philosophers of science understand it Technology does not require science. We have been using stone tools for millions of years. We had technology in writing, fermentation, metallurgy and agriculture. These are technological advancements that have improved our lives without us understanding how they work

Having a scientific mindset is going to accelerate your technology, but it’s not essential. So that’s why we dig into that question. Is science really essential? What is science anyway?

Gizmodo: So assuming the aliens are scientific, another element is whether they ask the same question.

Whiteson: An inspiring piece of philosophy for me was this question rise up— Why is the universe at all comprehensible? We can use fairly simple mathematical tools to understand the world around us. Instead of the universe being just filled with chaos, somehow this simplicity emerges.

We don’t know what the basic level of reality is—even if it exists. Thus, our science studies all emergent phenomena. It may be that this is a way we filter the universe. The universe is crazy and full of all kinds of buzz, but we see some stories that interest us.

On the other hand, if the phenomenon is something that is part of the universe – like there are some ways things deviate from the average – then we would have it in common with aliens. They will study the planets as we do. They study particles the way we do. They will see the same general story. But that’s not something we’ll know the answer to until they show up.

Gizmodo: Do you think there is any point in trying to communicate with beings on Earth to prepare for aliens? It can be argued that interspecies communication between Earth’s animals has virtually zero bearing on how an extraterrestrial, intelligent being might message us.

Whiteson: I think I would disagree. I mean, I agree that learning dolphins is unlikely to help us communicate with aliens. But the fact that we failed to communicate with that species tells us that we have a lot to learn about communicating with other species, and that more practice and more success can set us up for more success in the future.

We’re definitely making some assumptions and there are some hurdles we haven’t crossed. So, we don’t understand why or how the whales are singing to each other and the bats are clicking to each other, but there must be something going on.

Gizmodo: The extended Drake equation is not a yes-or-no question about whether aliens exist This is an ideal scenario where we can have a meaningful, intellectual exchange with them.

Whiteson: Yes.

Gizmodo: I feel that makes it more difficult for us to encounter “ideal” alien civilizations. In your view, what is the worst-case scenario that doesn’t end with everyone on Earth dying?

Whiteson: (laughs) Yes, well, a surprising result is that everything we have is compatible with them. They just tell us the answers, and we’re off to the future of science – incredible!

Even more frustrating, what you might call the worst-case scenario, is there someone Otherwise the way we do science. They are not interested in our questions. They are looking for different answers. They see a different part of the universe – we are alone at the table at an intergalactic science conference. That would be unfortunate.

From a philosophical point of view, it might be more fun if it were aliens no Meet any of our requirements, because that’s when we get to know our own specialties. Like, “Oh, wow, it’s interesting that we do this science this way, and everyone else does it. What does it mean to be human?”

So I think philosophers would be more excited if we could do this particular science in the galaxy. But physicists are sure to be disappointed.

Gizmodo: On that note, is the search for intelligent alien life really a search for humanity’s own ego?

Whiteson: Oh, sure. of course On the one hand, we want to find aliens like us, because it validates us. On the other hand, that discovery, finding aliens like lots of humans, would make us less special.

My favorite thing about the search for aliens is that any answer is mind-blowing and surprising in its own way. So, I’m definitely pro-alien, whatever. Even if aliens show up and send us to mine hydrogen, I still think it would be interesting. I’m so pro-alien visitation—I’ll take the risk!

Gizmodo: The book presents a fascinating fusion of philosophy and science, but you are a physicist at heart. So, after writing this book, doing the research for it… how has the process changed the way you approach your own work as a scientist?

Whiteson: Good question. You know, I’ve always been interested in philosophy on an amateur level. But I realized that particle physics is full of people who have strong philosophical opinions but think philosophy is a waste of time. They have this [Richard] Feynman’s view that physicists need philosophers as birds need ornithologists.

If you ask them, is the top quark real? Was it there before we discovered it? They will say, “Of course, are you, an idiot? Of course it is. It’s physical; it’s there. We found it; we didn’t make it.”

… I find those two things in conflict. Yes, we didn’t create these particles, but we never see them, we don’t hold them in our hands, and we don’t interact with them. We are telling stories about how the universe works. But in the end, they are the storyAnd the story that satisfied them our. We don’t know if the same stories will satisfy other people, so it certainly illuminates my own work and makes me wonder what it means.

But even if physics isn’t universal, it doesn’t make me less interested in doing physics. I still think trying to unravel the universe is a great fun puzzle. We are in this intimate relationship with the universe, and it matters to us. It’s part of being human.

Do aliens talk in physics? being published by WW Norton & Company and available online or in hardcover on November 4, 2025.