They’re not saying it’s aliens, but signal traced to sunlike star sparks SETI interest

originally posted by: odzeandennz
because the likelihood of an artificial radio signal is plausible even...
-the chances of another species evolving in the same manner as us has the same probability metrics as us finding another species who's evolved to the same point we're at technologically.



ill elaborate slightly...

we presume other races would develop in similar fashion as us, or have senses and numskull like we do, or the way we translate things to understand them is how potential ETs would as well, and thus would build or have technology to read and detect the forces as we do.... no respectable scientist would ever make such claim, if evolution happens randomly and would differ each time.

we're not looking for ETs, were looking for ourselves.

we're 1% different than Chimps, and look at our differences, imagine a species 99% different than us, would we even recognize them ro think theyre alive?

science has failed and sensationalized the extra terrestrial idea for so long. so now, any anomaly is a 'potential' of 'something'... just not saying what it is
i smh every time we try to humanize every modicum of interesting findings not from earth. i.e. the 'dyson sphere', why would we think an advanced race wouldnt secede the need to use ungodly amounts of energy, advanced civilizations would use less energy to do more unlike us...
science is now pandering to the masses and telling them what they want to hear.

Absolutely, which is why I love the book Solaris. If anyone's interested, should find a E-Book and read about it.

We are essentially looking for ourselves in the vast universe, which is why I don't get really excited every time I see something like this.

Just like in the Solaris novel, we can never be sure that we're even capable of communicating with Alien races, let alone find some frequency WE THINK they might be communicating with.

I think an upcoming movie is great for this type of topic, "ARRIVAL", based on a short story called "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang.

Solaris is cool too, because it shows what happens when an entire planet is an entity and it communicates in ways that we couldn't understand. The movie ARRIVAL is the same, the Alien communicates in a language that once learned, can actually represent/predict the Past, Present and Future events.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Why would they sit on this signal for an entire year? That pretty much runs contrary to every mode of operation and procedure seti has. They're supposed to get others involved asap so the signal can be tracked and confirmed.

a reply to: Vdogg

Considering the relations with Russia at the moment its not all that surprising.

a reply to: Xcathdra

But, what about ESA? Or are they involved?

a reply to: odzeandennz

Have you any idea how many very unlikely things happen in this universe? Have you any idea how unlikely the universe is in the first place?

Although I can appreciate your point where the timing of two civilisations, happening to possess radio technology at stages in their existence which allow for one to become aware of the other, is concerned, I have to point out the following.

The laws of physics allow for certain things. Causality allows for certain things. The past comes before the present, and the future afterward, and so on. This is why people who wielded bone clubs thousands upon thousands of years ago, were communicating using verbal and physical communication only, not taking advantage of radio telecommunication. A species which wishes to extend their ability to communicate beyond the physical limitations placed upon them by air resistance and distance, HAS to pass through stages of understanding of the physical universe, in order to achieve it. There has to be a step by step increase in technological and scientific understanding, in order for ANY technological solution to come about.

It is highly unlikely that a technological civilisation would never have thought of using radio waves, because in order to achieve communication over great distance without at least considering it would be virtually unthinkable. Why? Because when you think about the universe and the way energy and information passes through it, the naturally created information that is, you come to appreciate that the method we use is used because it makes best use of the physics that runs the clockwork of the universe.

We have taken advantage of the most effective communications method that physics allows for. Now, we may one day gain a greater understanding of physics, which would allow us to come up with new, exotic systems, but they would never have a chance to come about, if we had not already passed through this period in human history, and so it must be with any technological society. Whether they are currently advanced when compared with us, or behind us by a few decades, the fact is that they will not have advanced beyond our capabilities, without first having reached them. One does not run, before one can walk.

a reply to: Xcathdra

I try not to get my hopes up, every time this happens, it turns out to be a microwave in the break room, static from someones washing machine,or a covert sat or something like that. This one looks pretty promising however, and the distance of less than a hundred light years means we could actually communicate with them, although we won't hear from them for almost 200 years if we send a message. We will really have to do the star drive thing if we ever hope to communicate with the cosmos.

a reply to: Xcathdra

It is it! I guess those signals have been detected for longer time and by more telescopes, but only now we the humanity got the level where we are told almost plainly. In combination with thousands new exoplanets discovered, the latest being located in the nearest star system Proxima Centauri. (we still need a hyperdrive to go there, "near" is relative).

I flag i. It is a time to put aside all political differences and concentrate on the common future of humanity.

Tonight Aug 29th a California based radiotelescope will check the signal. It's time!

Point of contention, we don't need a hyperdrive. Light Sails/Solar Sails propelled to relativistic speeds would do the trick. We could get there in a human lifespan (shorter for those on the ship). A generation ship is probably the only way we can colonize the stars with currently feasible technological advances.

Interesting Hillary was about space alien government disclosure? Seems to be a correlation between how many scandals revealed, and a spike in earth like planets and alien radio signal stories?

originally posted by: openminded2011
a reply to: Xcathdra

I try not to get my hopes up, every time this happens, it turns out to be a microwave in the break room, static from someones washing machine,or a covert sat or something like that. This one looks pretty promising however, and the distance of less than a hundred light years means we could actually communicate with them, although we won't hear from them for almost 200 years if we send a message. We will really have to do the star drive thing if we ever hope to communicate with the cosmos.

Or something not intelligence, like a pulsar star. I almost said not natural? I hope aliens are natural.

a reply to: Vdogg

We could use a light sail if we could get adequate shielding to survive the radiation for the decades long trip. Right now it looks like even going to Mars will impart a serious radiation exposure. Interstellar travel taking decades might be lethal if we dont figure out a way to stop or deflect cosmic rays. Of course a warp ship as NASA was speculating about last year, would probably create its own inimaginable radiation hazard. I think I read somewhere that even if you were able to create a spacetime bubble and place a ship in it, the interior temperature of the bubble would be something like the same as the surface of the sun. Also heard that warping space would create something like a gamma ray burst when you exit the bubble. So we might make it to another solar system only to sterilize it on arrival.

Well worst case scenario if this signal doesn't pan out we always have the supposed alien mega structure around KIC 8462852.

Wish there was more to it but after reading what this SETI scientist wrote doesnt look good.
setiathome.berkeley.edu...

a reply to: Xcathdra

It is almost time...

a reply to: odzeandennz

That is true to a point but matter based life would be carbon based and the processes related to physics that govern evolution are similar as far as we know and not just because its all we know but because of efficiency. Silca based life for instance would have to exhale sand.

So shapes and colors, and adaptive traits sure can be different but some things just will most likely follow efficiency based physics

We should send a interstellar probe there except for the fact we have none because the world is too busy spending USD1,676B a year blowing ourselves up instead of exploring the greater universe.

CNN coverage -


Hear me now? 'Strong signal' from sun-like star sparks alien speculation

Also contains video interview.

a reply to: Vdogg

That would need to be some size of light sail to propel a generation ship at relativistic speed. What happens when said ship and sail encounter particulate matter at such velocity? Nothing good i imagine.

We are simple not ready to attempt such a feat without first overcoming the problem of shielding for any such vessel or probe, both conventional and magnetic.

Cool story, good discussion. I'd suspect the Russians wanted to spend a lot of time tracking down sources of spurious signals in their own equipment, as well as running it past other agencies in Moscow as to whether it might be something they emitted. Since nobody can know the original intended frequency, you can't make any judgment by Doppler shift as to relative speeds. All in all, a great real-world exercise in sharpening our signal-recognition criteria.

originally posted by: glend
We should send a interstellar probe there except for the fact we have none because the world is too busy spending USD1,676B a year blowing ourselves up instead of exploring the greater universe.

Which is one of the reason why I don't think any "higher intelligent" species would even want to contact us. If a ship ever appeared in our skies it would probably be shot at before anything.

I hate to even consider the idea that we're "alone" in the entire universe. I don't think there's any question that there is life out there. The size of the universe alone is unfathomable and the building blocks of life are all out there. The question is whether its intelligent or primitive. There's also much that's even still unknown about chemistry, physics, etc. that its almost impossible trying to play guessing games other than accepting the fact there's life of some sort out there.

I think we will discover life on another planet in my lifetime, be it microbes on Mars or something under the ice on Europa, but I think some sentient race contact is much more of a stretch.

That said, I'm always excited by these type of stories and it makes me hope that a discovery is made.