Verified - Binary Code Interstellar
It sounds like you're referring to the concept of — most famously the Arecibo Message (1974) or proposals like Binary interstellar beacons from SETI research.
Michael Hippke (Sonneberg Observatory)
Acta Astronautica , 2019
If you meant a different paper (e.g., one specifically about decoding binary from a real interstellar signal, or a fictional reference), let me know and I can refine the recommendation. binary code interstellar