What would it take to create a language made entirely of music? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American’s Allison Parshall explores the science and linguistics behind musical languages, from real-world constructed languages to the intricate note-based communication system created for the alien Rocky in Project Hail Mary. Learn how linguists transformed rhythm and pitch into a fully functional language and what these imaginative experiments reveal about the nature of communication itself.

Recommended Reading:
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/the-real-science-and-the-fun-fiction-behind-project-hail-mary/">Andy Weir on Ryan Gosling, alien contact and the wild science of Project Hail Mary</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/ryan-gosling-talks-project-hail-mary-hopeful-science-fiction-and-the/">Ryan Gosling says Project Hail Mary is ‘a reminder of what we’re capable of’</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetic-origins-of-language-may-predate-modern-humans-splitting-from-neanderthals-a-new-study-suggests/">How did humans evolve language? It may be far more ancient than scientists realized</a>

<a href="http://sciam.com/readingchallenge">Join our Summer Reading Challenge</a>&nbsp;

E-mail us at <a href="mailto:sciencequickly@sciam.com">sciencequickly@sciam.com</a> if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was reported by Allison Parshall and edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

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