Earth received its first ever 'alien message' from Mars in 'profoundly transformational experience for all humankind'
Published on Feb 05, 2026 at 3:40 PM (UTC+4)
by Grace Donohoe
Last updated on Feb 05, 2026 at 3:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A world first has taken place, and it’s incredible – an ‘alien message’ has been received from Mars, and successfully decoded. But don’t worry, the Martians aren’t coming.
The Sign in Space project dates back to 2023, with the simulation message sent down to Earth, and global participation was needed to successfully interpret it.
After the event was livestreamed, one clever duo successfully cracked the code
The project grabbed worldwide attention as people tried to figure out the true meaning.
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The first ever alien message – here’s what you need to know
ET phone home. No, quite literally.
Clever scientists and artists have made it possible for Earth to receive an alien message from Mars as part of a simulation in a huge project.
Spearheaded by Daniela de Paulis, the Sign in Space project is in collaboration between the SETI Institute, the European Space Agency, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, and the Green Bank Observatory to make the magic happen.
The supposed first-ever alien message from Mars was transmitted as a simulation of a message and was made possible by an ESA spacecraft.
The extraterrestrial message, which was a simulation of a radio wave, was transmitted towards our planet by the Trace Gas Orbiter.
“Receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization would be a profoundly transformational experience for all humankind,” said visionary artist Daniela de Paulis.
“A Sign in Space offers the unprecedented opportunity to tangibly rehearse and prepare for this scenario through global collaboration, fostering an open-ended search for meaning across all cultures and disciplines.”
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The code was here, but need to be cracked
Well, the message was transmitted on 4 May 2023 as a radio signal, and thousands of participants attempted to decode the message.
One day, a father and daughter team cracked the true meaning.
The duo, known only as ‘John and Sarah,’ as they wished to remain anonymous, figured out the hidden meaning successfully.
The pair worked out that it was an image of five amino acids, presented in a universal organic diagram displaying molecular notation.
This was also joined by single pixel points located among the transmitted clusters and diagrams.
“My decoded message is a simple image with five amino acids displayed in a universal (hopefully) organ.
“The decoded image is only visible for one frame lasting about 1/10th of a second, but I can pause and manually step as well as reverse my CA engine,” said John.
So, the message was successfully cracked, but the project is an onoing exploration topic.
For those wanting to get involved, you can submit your own theories to the project online.
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Beginning her career as a lifestyle reporter and social-media manager, Grace joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025. Since coming on board, she has thrown herself into the busy daily writing schedule. Her editorial sweet spots include writing about luxury properties and the quirky features inside them that the one percent are investing in, as well as groundbreaking advancements in space exploration.
