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Animals exist that use bioelectrogenesis allowing for electrolocation. Is this so different from "bio-radiocomunication" that it would disallow animals to develop this ability?

An animal with this kind of mechanism need to create electromagnetic fields strong enough to be practical, control the frequencies and be able to transmit and receive and understand the messages of others of their own kind.

I'm not sure about the utilities of this mechanism but maybe it might be used for a species which lives in the void. Other possible adaptation based on "bio-radiocomunication" is that species might interpret radio signals to obtain mental images.

Optional extra point: Why did this organism evolve, what are possible uses of this mechanism for the organism?

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    $\begingroup$ Related, not duplicate. $\endgroup$
    – Escaped dental patient.
    Aug 21, 2021 at 6:43
  • $\begingroup$ When you say how would it work you're asking about the utility right? would it include visual & other sensory data (or perhaps be equivalent to some sort of mind to mind link) or would (the equivalent of written text like here or an ordinary telephone) ,, you're asking about its limitations is that it? $\endgroup$
    – Pelinore
    Aug 21, 2021 at 21:02
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    $\begingroup$ You're making it sound like it is a duplicate then? // personally I'd go for the crystal radio design, a vacuum tube (modified inner ear), a crystal (the body already lays down minerals to make bone & has mechanisms for extracting al sorts of non-organics & transporting them around the body to where their needed, should be possible to co-opt a few of those) & electricity (the electric eel already has that fixed for you) // probably all translates as sound as it's likely processed by the brains hearing centres given some of the structures I'd use // but @ARogueAnt.'s link likely covers all that $\endgroup$
    – Pelinore
    Aug 22, 2021 at 2:12
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    $\begingroup$ I'd assumed the radio-organ would be new to the species (force evolved or even implanted rather than evolved naturally) so that the brain is likely immitted to using existing brain centres to translate the new sense // Bats echo location & dolphins sonar is part tied to their visual centres in a fashion so there's more cross-over wiring between their hearing & visual centres (something like that anyway) & they can actually 'see' with sound (after a fashion) as a result // likewise a naturally evolved radio-organ will probably be accompanied by a certain amount of restructuring of the brain. $\endgroup$
    – Pelinore
    Aug 22, 2021 at 3:04
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    $\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? How to evolve biological radios? -- If this is not a duplicate, could you go into why you think so? --- Also, there is a huge leap from 'radio' to 'mental images' - radio could be Morse, after all, which electric eels might be very near to. $\endgroup$
    – bukwyrm
    Oct 28, 2021 at 12:20

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Animals exist that use bioelectrogenesis allowing for electrolocation. Is this so different from "bio-radiocomunication" that it would disallow animals to develop this ability?

No it is not different. Some fish do this.

Male bluntnose knifefishes, Brachyhypopomus sp., produce a continuous electric "hum" to attract females; this consumes 11–22% of their total energy budget, whereas female electrocommunication consumes only 3%. Large males produced signals of larger amplitude, and these are preferred by the females. From wikipedia where there are other examples.

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but maybe it might be used for a species which lives in the void.

Assuming this fact that such a creature could exist in the vacuum of space I propose a possible Idea for this.

Assume your Creature is a 800 - 1200 Meter long Space "whale". This creature has long whiskers made of a pure metal, Copper or likely Iron, These Whiskers/ Tendrils uses its electromagnetic generation abilities to generate Sine ways varying in frequency. When an alternating current is sent through a wire it emits that frequency.

With an ability to consume particulate space dust. Its metabolism is based around the consumption of radioactive materials, Somehow separating them and forming a rudimentary reactor inside itself that it uses for the generation of the electricity.

The minerals it consumes are used to build its body.

As for Why?

Radio waves can travel in space for lightyears, Being 100's or 1000's of kilometres long you could have them pass through planets or other areas where higher frequencies will stall. This can be used to locate others of the same species to mate / communicate, albeit very slowly.

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Radio waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes visible light.

Some birds use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate during their migrations. This means that Nature has already provided a system by which some fauna can perceive some of the non visual frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Such a system could potentially evolve into an ability to communication via bio radio waves in the same way evolution has developed a combined aural and oral system to communication via sound waves, whether using air or water as the wave transportation medium.

Bio radiocommunication animals could be land or sea based. Lower frequency radio communications would most likely be used by marine animals. Land base creatures might use frequencies similar to shortwave radio frequencies, which were once used to communicate globally.

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