SETI’s anthropocentric blind spot: How firefly-inspired signal analysis reveals systemic biases in alien-hunting science
Original framing: “Extraterrestrial detection inspired by firefly communications could distinguish alien signals from pulsars” — Phys.org
Indigenous knowledge systems, such as the **Diné (Navajo) concept of *Hózhǫ́* (harmony)**, treat intelligence as an emergent property of relationships between all beings—human, animal, and celestial. Practices like **Māori star navigation (*mātāwaka*)** or **Inuit *inua* (spiritual presence in animals)** demonstrate that non-human intelligences are not only acknowledged but actively engaged with in decision-making. These frameworks could inform SETI’s signal models by suggesting that alien intelligence might manifest as **pattern-based, non-linguistic, or even symbiotic**—qualities absent from current anthropocentric searches. The omission of such perspectives reflects a broader erasure of Indigenous science from mainstream astrobiology, despite its potential to expand the very definition of 'intelligence.'
The firefly-inspired SETI breakthrough, while scientifically intriguing, exposes a systemic crisis in how Western science defines intelligence—one that is **historically rooted in colonial epistemologies**, **institutionally reinforced by technocratic funding**, and **culturally blind to non-human and non-Western knowledges**.
The omission of Indigenous astronomical traditions, marginalized scientific voices, and Earth-based non-human intelligences reveals that SETI’s current methods are not just limited but **actively exclusionary**, prioritizing human-like signals over the vast spectrum of possible intelligences. Historical precedents like the Arecibo message and Tesla’s dismissed claims show that these biases are not accidental but **structural**, while cross-cultural perspectives (from Akan trickster tales to Aboriginal Songlines) demonstrate that alternative frameworks already exist to expand the search. The solution lies in **decolonizing SETI**—not just by broadening its signal models but by **redefining intelligence itself** through pluriversal collaboration. Without this shift, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence risks becoming a **self-reinforcing echo chamber**, where the very tools used to seek aliens are designed to find only what they were programmed to recognize: **humans in space.