Communication
Animals use smells and sounds, computers use invisible lasers, and humans use absolutely everything! Join Bill Nye the Science Guy as we decode the brilliant science of how living creatures and modern machines share information across the globe.
Send The Message!
They perform a complex physical dance! When a bee finds nectar, it returns to the hive and performs a figure eight waggle dance. The specific angle and length of the dance tell the other bees the exact direction and distance to the food!
We can store information completely outside of our bodies! While animals only communicate in the present moment, humans use books, photographs, and computer hard drives to store knowledge so it can be read centuries later!
Put Your Instincts to the Test
Think about how information travels from one place to another. Pick an answer for each question, then see if your instincts were right.
As pulses of light travelling through thin glass cables! The internet relies on massive bundles of fibre optic cables stretching entirely across the ocean floor, sending digital information at the speed of light!
Radio waves! These incredible electromagnetic waves can travel massive distances through the open air, carrying complex video and audio information directly to your television set.
Binary Code! Computers communicate complex information using a continuous sequence of only two symbols, zeros and ones, which represent electrical switches turning on and off.
Understanding the Science
Tap each card to uncover the spectacular biological and digital methods we use to share our thoughts with the world.
Key Concepts
Information Exchange
Tap to learn moreThe fundamental concept of sharing ideas, feelings, or urgent warnings between living creatures.
Body Language
Tap to learn moreNon verbal communication using posture, facial expressions, and physical movements, like a dog wagging its tail.
Morse Code
Tap to learn moreA traditional communication method using short and long pulses of sound or light to represent the letters of the alphabet.
Radio Waves
Tap to learn moreInvisible electromagnetic energy that carries audio and data signals over massive distances through the open air.
Sound Waves
Tap to learn morePhysical vibrations travelling through the air or water that our biological ears interpret as speech or animal calls.
External Storage
Tap to learn moreThe unique human ability to safely preserve information outside our brains using books, computers, and digital media.
Fibre Optics
Tap to learn moreIncredibly thin strands of pure glass that transmit massive amounts of computer data using extremely fast pulses of light.
Binary Code
Tap to learn moreThe digital language of machines, using a continuous sequence of only zeros and ones to communicate complex information.
Try It: The Analogue versus Digital Storm
Welcome to the transmission valley!
The Mission: You must send a clear digital photograph of a bow tie to the receiver on the right side of the screen. Press the massive round buttons to choose between sending an Analogue wave or a Digital binary signal. Then, activate the Lightning Storm to see which signal survives the weather interference!
Apply Your Knowledge
Let us see if you can correctly identify how different biological and technological methods of communication work.
Match the Concepts
Click a communication term to select it, then click the matching description to place it.
long pulses to build alphabet letters
to communicate digital computer data
communicate without making a sound
and pictures safely outside their brains
Real World Challenge
Bill Nye the Science Guy demonstrates how Morse Code uses a specific pattern of short dots and long marks to send messages. If a computer only understands Binary Code which uses zeros and ones, explain how Binary is actually very similar to Morse Code!
What Has Changed Since This Episode Aired
This episode originally aired in 1995. While the fundamental concepts of sending and receiving messages remain true, the incredible technology we use to communicate has completely transformed our world!
Updated: Artificial Intelligence is helping us decode animal language! Researchers are now using advanced machine learning to discover hidden grammatical structures in animal sounds. They have recently discovered that whale clicks contain complex patterns similar to human vowels, and that baby bats actually babble exactly like human infants!
Updated: Fibre optic technology has absolutely exploded! Modern glass cables now use incredible digital signal processors to bend and modulate the physical phase of the light itself. This coherent optical technology allows us to send one hundred times more data through a single microscopic glass fibre than we could in 1995!
Updated: Brain Computer Interfaces have arrived! Scientists have developed microscopic electrodes that can be safely placed directly onto the human brain. This breathtaking breakthrough allows paralysed patients to type messages, play video games, and completely communicate through a computer using nothing but their thoughts!
Updated: Welcome to the Internet of Things! Today, machines communicate directly with other machines without any human help at all. Your smart refrigerator can send a wireless signal to your mobile phone, and your car can automatically communicate with satellites to instantly report heavy traffic jams!
Test Your Understanding
Answer these questions and get instant feedback. How many can you get right?
Results
Your score:
Reflection
Think about how the invention of the telephone completely changed the world in the past. How do you think advanced artificial intelligence will change the way human beings communicate with computers in the future?
Episode Discussion
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