No encounters: most ambitious alien search to date draws a blank

The search for alien life goes on, but so far, this major study has drawn a blank.

www.theguardian.com...

Astronomers who have been listening for signals from alien civilisations in the most intensive hunt for extraterrestrials yet have found no evidence of life in its first year in operation.

The Breakthrough Listen project began to eavesdrop on the universe with the Green Bank observatory in West Virginia in January last year, but the most intelligent transmissions the telescope has picked up so far appear to be from satellites or mobile phones and other earthly devices.

Data released by the project on Thursday revealed eleven of the most promising signals detected, but after close inspection scientists concluded that the radiowaves probably came from humans rather than other intelligent lifeforms.

This study focuses on looking for signals being transmitted in the 1 to 2 GHZ frequency bands. Why?

Studies in the 1960s and 1970s identified the one to two GHz frequency band as the most promising hunting ground for alien transmissions. Having found it to be silent, the astronomers now intend to scour higher frequencies in the hope that alien transmissions lurk there.

“A really important part of the Breakthrough programme is to explore as much of the electromagnetic spectrum, both radiowave and optical signals, as we possibly can,” Siemion said.

The astronomers look for high energy signals at a steady frequency and position in the sky. “The problem is if you take a radio telescope and look for signals like that you find lots and lots, and of course most are coming from our own technology. The big challenge is to discriminate between distant technology and our own technology on Earth.

This differs from the search from NASA for life supporting planets and moons which may support microbial life, we seem closer to detecting this than ever before.

A worthwhile endeavour, but I suspect that if alien life exists, it may in fact be unrecognisable to humans. It could be living alongside us, with humans simply not being able to detect or understand it, similar to the analogy of a major freeway being built next to an ants nest. Would the ants have any comprehension of what they are seeing?

a reply to: cuckooold

Just my opinion on the matter. The relative age of life on Earth as compared to the relative age of the milky way, other stars, and the Universe, combined with the discoveries by the kepler project (earth like planets), as well as what we know about organic compounds, catalyzing by electromagnetic energy (photons) etc. aka evolution, i cant help but believe there is life, and intelligent life elsewhere, probably quite a bit too.

As for whether they are "like us." Im sure there is life that is incredibly different in form and function, but also similar life, maybe even very human like life out there. Why?

The Universe has many layers, scales within creation where 3 dimensional forms and functions are thematically similar.

a reply to: cuckooold

Agree with your end conclusion. We need to "see" them..."Hear" them..."detect-things" from and by them...when I believe...we are way too young to even know what to look, or listen or search for...because we've not discovered anything else yet.

We talk things nuclear, radio, magnetic, telescopic, U.F.O.(-which of course they are unidentified...we dont know what to look for yet!)

I think we have it all wrong...speed of light travel, space time continuum, rocket propusion...how the hell do we know?!
We don't....yet....thanks

a reply to: cuckooold

To put things in perspective our own radio signals have only travelled 110 light years, that's not very far and we're talking 100+ years since the very early ones were ever broadcast

This means that at 110 light-years away from earth — the edge of a radio ‘sphere’ which contains many star systems — our very first radio broadcasts are beginning to arrive. At 74 light-years away, television signals are being introduced. Star systems at a distance of 50 light-years are now entering the ‘Twilight Zone’.

I googled it because it's interesting

Narrowing to only the 1 to 2ghz spectrum just makes it that much harder to find any evidence, I get that it's easier due to less noise but we could be listening to the wrong spectrum.

Likewise what if other civilisations out there are doing the same, yet broadcasting on every other spectrum

If we're not listening we can't hear, but space is huge, so huge we may never hear anything and if we did chances are it would be hundreds, probably even thousands of years old and that civilisation may no longer exist (if ours is anything to go by)

a reply to: cuckooold

Two words: sub-space communication

Or is that three words?

Why would we assume any civilization with a million years of technological development would use 1930 radio signals to communicate? SETI has no chance in finding an intelligent signal.

The extraterrestrials are probably here now and have nano-bending stealth technology which allows them to quite literally melt into walls. The wall paint in your room might be an extraterrestrial observation drone in stealth mode. We've only had 100 years of airplane technology evolution. Can you imagine where our computers will be after a million years of technological evolution?

Is this going to be a stand-up fight, or just another bug hunt?

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: cuckooold
We talk things nuclear, radio, magnetic, telescopic ...

That is all radio, or to be more correct electromagnetic radiation.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: cuckooold

Two words: sub-space communication

Or is that three words?

...

Define sub-space communication.

a reply to: cuckooold

The Great Pyramid started with some guys building a pile from stones a few centuries earlier. I wonder how many of the pyramid builders believed they'd reached the pinnacle of engineering?

In my mind, it's similar to how we've only recently started to look for intelligent life in an intelligent way. We've moved on from hand-held telescopes and will continue to move on to better technologies and who knows where the future will take us?

I would love to live to see news of the discovery of life. Kinda hope it occurs at a great distance of light years so we get to acclimatise to the new status of 'neighbour.' Too close, too soon and who knows? There's still the good chance of status quo and more confirmation that, sigh, we're all there is in the known universe.

originally posted by: moebius

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: cuckooold

Two words: sub-space communication

Or is that three words?

...

Define sub-space communication.

Ooh, ooh, I'd like to give it a whack! *__-
No Star Trek dictionaries, just what is on the crawl rolling past my awareness;
'Sub-space communication is that 'communication' between entangled particles (quantum physics) whereby one particle at one end of the Universe both in space and 'time' is instantly affected by what becomes of another particle at the other 'end' (of course there is no 'end' of the Universe).
The communication is instantaneous, despite the 'distances' of both 'space' and 'time' involved.

Rather like the instantaneous right 'answer' that intuition brings, rather than the rattling, lengthy problematic route of the 'train of thought' (time/space route... 'rocket ship') method.
Whaddaya think? *__-

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: cuckooold
I would love to live to see news of the discovery of life.

There is a theory that all we do when we 'open our eyes' is to peer into the mirror.

"Perhaps it is the curvature of space that, like a funhouse mirror distorting our own reflection, we imagine strangers." - Mythopoeicon

Isn't it fascinating that we are unable to find 'intelligent life' 'out there'.
Just sayin... *__-

originally posted by: CreationBro

Just my opinion on the matter. The relative age of life on Earth as compared to the relative age of the milky way, other stars, and the Universe, combined with the discoveries by the kepler project (earth like planets), as well as what we know about organic compounds, catalyzing by electromagnetic energy (photons) etc. aka evolution, i cant help but believe there is life, and intelligent life elsewhere, probably quite a bit too.

I think where people make a big mistake is when they put "life" in the same sentence as "intelligent life". If we look at the universe of 14 billion years the first 5 billion was basically building what we see as a norm today if the universe started out as basic hydrogen. With the 9 billion remaining earth has been around 4.5 billion years of that, and so far we know of 1 species out of trillions to reach our level, us. This is not good odds that intelligent life is in an abundance, where life in general must be everywhere that conditions allow it to happen. Also life is always happening but species come and go in a blink of the eye. This also does far well for the idea of ancient races for they die out or evolve on to something else.

You an say life , but when we add disclaimers to what that life is the odds greatly increase. I can say life or a purple flying hippo with 5 eyes and then we would see that a very small chance for that to be. Well what if I say an intelligent, build capable, space faring life form...its kind of the same thing.

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: moebius

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: cuckooold

Two words: sub-space communication

Or is that three words?

...

Define sub-space communication.

Ooh, ooh, I'd like to give it a whack! *__-
No Star Trek dictionaries, just what is on the crawl rolling past my awareness;
'Sub-space communication is that 'communication' between entangled particles (quantum physics) whereby one particle at one end of the Universe both in space and 'time' is instantly affected by what becomes of another particle at the other 'end' (of course there is no 'end' of the Universe).
The communication is instantaneous, despite the 'distances' of both 'space' and 'time' involved.

Rather like the instantaneous right 'answer' that intuition brings, rather than the rattling, lengthy problematic route of the 'train of thought' (time/space route... 'rocket ship') method.
Whaddaya think? *__-

That is a popular misunderstanding of quantum physics. Entangled particles can not be used for instantaneous communication.

The idea that we are all alone in the universe is terrifying
Same with the idea that we aren't.

a reply to: moebius

Entangled particles can not be used for instantaneous communicatio

Entangled particles can not, as far as we know, be used for instantaneous communication.

There might, however, be much we don't know.

BT

originally posted by: beetee
Entangled particles can not, as far as we know, be used for instantaneous communication.

Not only that, you gotta physically take one of the entangled particles to where you want the "receiver" to be. And that might only take 500,000 years or so.

There might, however, be much we don't know.

I think that's guaranteed.

a reply to: cuckooold

If the 1Ghz to 2Ghz frequency bands are "quiet", why did scientists pick up common cell phone transmissions?

a reply to: namelesss

There is a theory that all we do when we 'open our eyes' is to peer into the mirror.

It's a possibility I have a lot of time for. There's seems to be a reflective aspect in most of the reported experiences of unusual phenomena. I also suspect there's a reflective element in play when we try to discuss third party accounts.

A problem with this perspective is it renders all our interpretations to subjectivity. A rock can be a rock and perhaps we can't see intelligent life elsewhere because it isn't there.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
It's a possibility I have a lot of time for. There's seems to be a reflective aspect in most of the reported experiences of unusual phenomena. I also suspect there's a reflective element in play when we try to discuss third party accounts.

A problem with this perspective is it renders all our interpretations to subjectivity. A rock can be a rock and perhaps we can't see intelligent life elsewhere because it isn't there.

I suppose that's why we try to rely on a consensus, although that's certainly not foolproof, either. Because... you know... people can be foolish.

a reply to: cuckooold

Hello cuckooold old friend. Glad our paths have crossed again on here.

Interesting thread and of course a very pertinent part of the Aliens and UFO topic is where are the aliens?

My own personal belief is that the universe is teeming with life. It seems it may even exist in our own neighbourhood with the recent announcement about Enceladus.. Probably once existed on Mars as well. But is it what we would deem intelligent? Almost certainly not.

I say that luck and chance play a very, very important role in whether intelligent life (capable of broadcasting signals into space) will ever develop.

Using the Earth as a model, the dinosaurs ruled the planet for around 200 million years. Some had more grey matter than others but no progress towards any technology seems to have been made during that period. The asteroid strike that is believed to have killed many dinosaur species off may well be a lot more common in other solar systems wiping out higher forms of life much more regularly. Earth is protected by the gas giants in the outer solar system. They act as 'shock absorbers' for a lot of space debris out there. Mopping up a lot of dangerous rocks that may well have been headed our way.

But without the end of the dinosaurs then I might not have been typing this up now. The randomness of that event led indirectly to our domination of the planet.

In later times various creatures on Earth show signs of intelligence. Dolphins and whales are cited as being highly intelligent but their environment severely limits their creative skills. They do possess self awareness and often interact with humans as well.



A recent study suggest that most world's harbouring life are waterworlds (less than 5% surface area is land). So perhaps life is commonplace but not capable of leaving it's aquatic environment.

Chimpanzees and other primates have developed primitive tools and have even been seen to be able to operate our technology and display short term memory skills in advance of many humans. Some of them have even been into orbit as well. But that was on the back of technology built by humans.



Yes only one species has developed communication technologies and been able to go into space. The development of that technology came from the genius of a very, very small percentage of humanity. We can also draw upon the collective knowledge of our species for hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of years.

Summing all that up. What I am saying is that chance plays a very big part in evolution. Especially over millions of years.

Although we think ourselves as highly evolved intelligent beings most of our discoveries and inventions were made by a tiny,tiny minority of our species. That's not putting the rest of us down as we are highly adaptive and can learn from each other. Each generation of humanity advances based on our past.

In the greater scheme of things perhaps this planet is unique with how life evolved in this part of the galaxy and that's why we can't hear anyone.

It could also be because we've only just started listening and are tuned to the wrong bandwidths.