SETI has a signal

[Brian G Turner]

They're trying to downplay what it actually means - but the team behind the project figure it looks somehow artifical.

Apparently, this is a rescan of an area that had shown anomalous signals before, and these were being chased down again.

More here: http://www.newscientist.com/news/nographic.jsp?id=ns99996341

In February 2003, astronomers involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) pointed the massive radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, at around 200 sections of the sky.

The same telescope had previously detected unexplained radio signals at least twice from each of these regions, and the astronomers were trying to reconfirm the findings. The team has now finished analysing the data, and all the signals seem to have disappeared. Except one, which has got stronger.

This radio signal, now seen on three separate occasions, is an enigma. It could be generated by a previously unknown astronomical phenomenon. Or it could be something much more mundane, maybe an artefact of the telescope itself.

But it also happens to be the best candidate yet for a contact by intelligent aliens in the nearly six-year history of the SETI@home project, which uses programs running as screensavers on millions of personal computers worldwide to sift through signals picked up by the Arecibo telescope.

And note the telling comment later:

That does not mean that only aliens could have produced it. “It may be a natural phenomenon of a previously undreamed-of kind like I stumbled over,” says Jocelyn Bell Burnell of the University of Bath, UK.

It was Bell Burnell who in 1967 noticed a pulsed radio signal which the research team at the time thought was from extraterrestrials but which turned out to be the first ever sighting of a pulsar.

Bets on that's it's a new phenomenon, not an alien signal.

Doesn't make it any less fascinating, though.

 

[Foxbat]

This project is quite a feat when you think of the amount of information that needs processed. I used to process info for SETI@home. It's maybe time to start doing my bit for the Universe again

 

[Princess Ivy]

I am a fully signed up member of Seti@home. And hope they found it using my processor!!!!!!

 

[Foxbat]

From what I remember that was part of the deal - if the anomaly came from your packet of info you got some kind of mention. Sorry Ivy, it looks like you've lost the lucky draw on that one or you would probably have heard by now.

Still, don't be too upset, the most I've ever won is a packet of biscuits so I suppose finding a new alien culture is just me being a tad ambitious

 

[Princess Ivy]

Still, don't be too upset, the most I've ever won is a packet of biscuits so I suppose finding a new alien culture is just me being a tad ambitious

The most i've won is this computer!

 

[Foxbat]

The most i've won is this computer

Hmmph! Some people have all the luck. My PC needs constantly stoked up with firewood to get those steam pistons pumping - I'm not saying it's old but....

 

[jonak]

I think the whole SETI thing is silly. I bet the ETs recieve our signals, and ignore them, thinking the signal we're using is like 50,000 years old compared to their's or something. They're most likely connected to some...Intergalactic Union and don't even recognize us as a true advanced race. To them, we're still primative. If I was an Extraterrestrial being, I'd be laughing at the human race. I don't even have to be an ET to laugh at us, I do it anyways.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Lol! Made me think of SETI transmissions as like automated phone diallers we keep getting ringing our home phone.

 

[Maryjane]

One of these days when the human race is ready they will make their apearance. If we can find one other planet in out solar system with life on it even a pimitive bacterial life form, it would greatly increase chances that there are probably billions of planets out there that are earth like possibly spawned life on them. All the building blocks for all that exists in the universe including life was in the premordial soup of the big bang. If they are close enough to us to be aware of us this would mean they would have evolved several million years ahead of us and would be much more advanced then us as well. Possibly have traveled from the older planets in the outer fringes of the univers. Their out there.

 

[Hypes]

Why would this mean they are so much more advanced than us? There is an equal chance that they may be roughly the same as us, technologically (likely to be very different, but yet achieving the same goals - just because it isn't how we do it doesn't mean it's so dreadfully higher advanced)

The earth is 1/3rd as old as the universe itself, and by all estimates is the stereotype world for life to thrive on. If a similar planet to Earth is out there, then why would they not follow some of the same patterns of development, at least on a timescale?

If they've travelled to the outer fringes of the universe they would need a considerably higher amount of time than a couple of million years head start, not even counting the actual travel itself. The universe isn't all that small. Just think, a trip to Mars is three-four years, and that is relatively close to us, within our own solar system even.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

and by all estimates is the stereotype world for life to thrive on.

A bit off-topic, but I think such estimates fail to mention the unspoken qualification: 'life similar to ours'. It's at least possible that radically different kinds of life could evolve in environments quite inimicable to our form of life - a possibility suggested by studies of life in the less hospitable parts of our own planet, such as the so-called extremophile bacteria, or achaea, that can survive highs and lows of temperature fatal to any other organism on earth.

I do agree that a possible alien civilization certainly doesn't have to be more advanced than ours.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

But do you think they have unemployment problems too? Would an advanced race have a state benefit set up?

 

[Neon]

Aliens: "Damn telemarketers..." ::turns on caller ID and blocks future signals::

 

[Hypes]

JP, point taken.

Of course, Peter, just look at Norway.

 

[Maryjane]

Ok you say our planet is 1/3 the age of the universe then what about the planets near the outer fringes of the universe 2/3 more times older. if they spawned inteligent life it would be three times older then any life we know on earth even the dinasors era. And yes they may have evolved diferntly then us and even look diferent then us but I bet they will still be a homoerectus type of being with two legs and arms and torso and head similar to ours. What better model could one have for an inteligent species with two legs to stand erect and for mobilety and two arms, even tentacles well say, with hands and fingers and thumb to grap and manipulate tools with. Maybe they have developed a mode of transportation where they travel in an energy form that can utilise the warping of space time by event horison of a black hole we'll say, and that possibilety has already been postulated by scientists. Upon their arival at their destination they wink back into normal time and space at a much earlier time then when they left for the reason being the closer one gets to event horison the slower time moves once past event horizon time runs backwards. Another postulation by scientist the event horizion theory could be utilezed in a ship by creating a containerized micro black hole within the ship hull. For example the aray encountered by capt Janeway in star treck. With the capabilety to transform from energy to mater and back they could be right under our noses and we would not be aware of it. Lets postulate some more and say that seti is picking up the energy signatures of one of these ships.

And as for an economy base, An inteligent species would have to have some type of trade bassed system theirs could be much diferent then ours where by they may not have limitations on exploration of the universe.

This is only a postulation guys I don't have a radio telescope behind the house or nothing, just my quantum level puddle jumper

Been away for a while, glad to be back, someone has to be here to educate you

 

[Michael]

Better model? Surely you're not that humanocentric as to believe that our configuration is the most efficient in the universe? Although, I've got to admit that opposable thumbs seem to exist in every model I've seen, including the "common wasp" scenario I saw on one show on the Science channel. (Sorry can't remember the name of the show).

At any rate, the wasp stood upright on four legs, while two had evolved similar to arms and had opposable digits.

EDIT: I'm sure that we can imagine other possibilities, and that many more than that might actually exist. However, I'd like the idea that species genetically related to humanity might be scattered throughout many worlds nearby.

 

[Maryjane]

Exactly Michal. they may not be exactly like us but some similar features wether two legs or four for instance or tentacles they would still have to have the abilety to stand upright to free the two upper apendages to develope into working limbs that can manipulate tools. and they would require some type of mouth to intake nourishment if they are carbone based life forms and breathing and hearing and seeing aparatus unless they have developed a diferent method of sensing sound and visualising what's around them I was just saying that these beings in many ways would not differ much from us unless they have evolved to another state of being that would be incomprehensible to us.