When it comes to theorizing/storytelling about humanity meeting a larger galactic society, there are a lot of concepts about different species-character or specializations. I've always been interested in unusual answers to "what might distinguish us."

For a while now, "brains can think of knots" has been on that list. Imagine some aliens who are generally much smarter than us, but they need computers to indirectly create or solve knots, and textiles were a late- rather than early-invention.

Granted, this seems unlikely, but it's still amusing to consider.