| A major question, developed worldwide during the end | | | | Off Time (c) would be 28-32 sec, centred at 6 o'clock, |
| of the past century was: How can animals, especially | | | | Early (d) would be 43-47 sec centred at 9 o'clock. |
| cetaceans, live such seemingly complex lives, using so | | | | Experimentation by Ceta Research has shown that |
| few signals, signs, or symbols? Was there, in actuality, | | | | following messages now appear to be identical for |
| another, perhaps independent communication system | | | | some marine mammals, terrestrial mammals and |
| within Nature, that we hadn't noticed mainly because of | | | | seabirds. |
| our own principal human communications? | | | | 1. Synchronization: Establishing the On Time concept of |
| A decade ago, such an independent communication | | | | a demonstrated rhythm. |
| system was demonstrated by two humpback whales | | | | 2. A greeting or "passkey": Saying hello is done using |
| under investigation by Ceta Research in Trinity, | | | | an Off Time - Off Time - On Time message |
| Newfoundland. It has since been found in other animals | | | | 3. A reciprocal greeting: Rhythmic mimicry via a return |
| but only under low stress conditions. Under stress, | | | | of the hello message is a sign of lowering biological |
| organisms tend to revert to a dominant use of signals, | | | | stress and readiness to communicate. |
| and to Darwinian struggles for survival. But by | | | | 4. A reciprocal overlapping greeting: This happens |
| discovering an organism with markedly reduced needs, | | | | when #3 overlaps the timing of #2; occurring most |
| one may usually find Rhythm Based Communication | | | | often after repeated reciprocal greetings between the |
| (RBC) | | | | same two organisms. |
| But How does it work? | | | | 5. The declarative (i.e. a simple noun): Facts are stated |
| In order to have this new type of communication, | | | | as combinations of Late or Early, Off Time or On |
| biological rhythms must be shared between two | | | | Time. An example from Ceta Research experiments |
| organisms so that synchronization occurs. After | | | | would be Late - On Time - Late - Early to represent |
| synchronization, Rhythm based communication is made | | | | "A Location" |
| possible by an organisms perception of lateness | | | | 6. The interrogative: Questions are stated as rhythmic, |
| relative to on timeness. That is, the organisms, through | | | | "time-symmetric," signals, mirror images of the |
| synchronization, arrive at a common rhythm, and can | | | | declarative; an example would be Early - On Time - |
| then, within this synchronized rhythm, transmit and | | | | Early - Late to represent "Location?" or "Are you going |
| receive messages using combinations of ON-TIME, | | | | to Location"?" This is a reversal of the circular direction |
| LATE, OFF-TIME and EARLY messages. Such | | | | of RBT. |
| information flow is Rhythm Based Communication | | | | 7. The affirmative (Yes): A double signal On Time |
| (RBC). | | | | 8. The negative (No): A double signal Off Time . |
| Imagine two parallel "arrows" of conventional time, | | | | 9. A farewell: A rhythmic, opposite phase message, to |
| each associated with one of two communicating | | | | the greeting of #2 above. The rhythmic coding is On |
| organisms, A and B. Now picture two turning wheels | | | | Time - On Time - Off Time This is commonly |
| with their centres on the "arrows" of time, with | | | | mimicked by the second organism during departure. |
| different speeds of rotation (alpha rhythms) | | | | 10. Time Compression: A double signal in a single |
| To arrive at synchronization, organism A makes a | | | | rotation window thereby shortening a message by one |
| signal in any time window of a single rotation, but only | | | | RBT revolution an example would be a greeting with a |
| when the window reaches the vertical or "NOW-axis" | | | | double signal Off Time followed by an On Time signal. |
| Organism A then repeats this action on the next one | | | | Time compression apparently corresponds to the |
| or more complete cycles of its wheel, creating a | | | | emotion of joy and is invariably followed by a breach |
| pulsating rhythm always at the same position on its | | | | for some cetaceans. |
| rotation (alpha concept) | | | | Experimentation by Ceta Research on human-animal |
| The alpha concept can be confirmed by organism B, if | | | | RBC rhythms show that alpha rhythms differ by |
| it sends a signal which also occurs in a synchronous | | | | species and situation, ranging from 10 sec for young |
| time window centred on the NOW-axis of any of its | | | | fox kits to 120 sec for fin whales. |
| subsequent rotations | | | | Ceta Research believe that RBC could work for all |
| This sending of a synchronous signal defines the | | | | animals (and in fact for all life). Should this be the case, |
| concept of On Timeness (or zero lateness). | | | | then a universal greeting is feasible. A group of living |
| Now that the organisms are synchronized, they can | | | | organisms should be able to send and receive |
| transmit and receive messages using combinations of | | | | messages, using RBT, as if they were physically |
| ON-TIME, LATE, OFF-TIME and EARLY messages | | | | together, independent of spatial separation. Also larger |
| If for a humpback whale we use 60 sec as the alpha | | | | vocabularies could be expected and body language |
| rhythm then: | | | | should play an extensive role in communication. |
| On Time (a) would be from 58 to 02 sec, centred at | | | | It is not only important WHAT the organism does, but |
| 12 o'clock, on a clock face. | | | | perhaps even more important WHEN the organism |
| Late (b) would then be 13-17 sec, centred at 3 o'clock. | | | | does something. |