Nanu-nanu? Klaatu barada nikto! Download NASA's free e-book on alien communications

Q'plah?

It's not exactly an intergalactic dictionary, but a new e-book by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration might help us better understand our brethren from other stars.

The book "Archaeology, Anthropology and Interstellar Communication" is more than 300 pages long and touches on the history of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

But NASA said the book also raises questions that it said "may have been overlooked by physical scientists about the ease of establishing meaningful communication with an extraterrestrial intelligence."

"These scholars are grappling with some of the enormous challenges that will face humanity if an information-rich signal emanating from another world is detected. By drawing on issues at the core of contemporary archaeology and anthropology, we can be much better prepared for contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, should that day ever come," it added.

NASA's e-book is available for download for Kindle (mobi), EPUB and PDF formats.

One of the topics in the e-book even dwelled on "Constraints on message construction for communication with extraterrestrial intelligence."

Important issue

A separate article on FromQuarksToQuasars.com said the problems and advancements made so far to communicate with extraterrestrials is an important issue.

It cited a 2010 documentary where physicist Stephen Hawking warned that extraterrestrials may be more advanced than us.

"As such, if they visit Earth, they could exploit or exterminate us (consider the imperialist extermination of Native peoples around the globe)," it said.

It also noted the text aims to address some of the issues surrounding alien life and alien communication to prepare us “for contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, should that day ever come.” – Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News