

Humans were able to identify the signal sent from TMA-1 towards TMA-2, alerting the humans to the existence of TMA-2. TMA-1 reported to its "brother," TMA-2, found in orbit around Jupiter. TMA-1 was a sort of "burglar alarm," alerting the aliens that the humans had left Earth. TMA-0 (the retroactively numbered monolith discovered in Africa) and the Europa Monolith served as a catalyst for evolution, encouraging the development of sapience in lifeforms. The monoliths are capable of many different functions. TMA-1 was also the only monolith that emitted a magnetic field, so the designation is something of a double misnomer. Three of the other monoliths were also given "TMA" designations, although none of them except the Tycho Monolith were located on the moon. The monoliths were created by an unseen alien race, known only as the " Firstborn." The first monolith to be discovered was officially dubbed Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One, or TMA-1.
