Marvin Minsky, one of the progenitors of artificial intelligence, also had a novel suggestion for interstellar communication. Rather than sending images of life on Earth like, say, a photo of a cat, Minsky suggested it would be better to send the cat itself. Minsky wasn’t suggesting that we launch one of our furry friends into space, of course. Instead, he suggested using computer technology to represent various aspects of life on Earth. This could take the form of a cat simulation, or perhaps sending the genome of a cat, a human, or other animals. If aliens have more sophisticated cloning technology than our own, this DNA could act as a sort of blueprint to recreate a living version of a species, which could then be studied in vivo on the alien’s own planet.