The hunt for alien life is on…

Scientists at the Harvard, Smithsonian and Rochester University will scan the Universe for signs of intelligent life with the help of technosignatures

Scientists at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian and the University of Rochester are collaborating on a project to search the universe for signs of life via technosignatures, after receiving the first NASA nonradio technosignatures grant ever awarded, and the first SETI-specific NASA grant in over three decades.

Researchers believe that although life appears in many forms, the scientific principles remain the same and that the technosignatures identifiable on Earth will also be identifiable in some fashion outside of the solar system. “Technosignatures relate to signatures of advanced alien technologies similar to, or perhaps more sophisticated than, what we possess,” said Avi Loeb, Frank B Baird Junior Professor of Science at Harvard.

“Such signatures might include industrial pollution of atmospheres, city lights, photovoltaic cells (solar panels), megastructures, or swarms of satellites.” Knowing where to look for technosignatures has not always been easy, making it difficult for researchers to obtain grants and a footing in mainstream astronomy. The surge of results in exoplanetary research --including planets in habitable zones and the presence of atmospheric water vapour—over the past five years has revitalized the search for intelligent life.

“The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has always faced the challenge of figuring out where to look. Which stars do you point your telescope at and look for signals?” said Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, and the primary recipient of the grant.

“Now we know where to look. We have thousands of exoplanets including planets in the habitable zone where life can form. The game has changed.” The study, “Characterising Atmospheric Technosignatures,” will initially focus on searching for two particular signatures that may indicate the presence of technological activities on extrasolar planetary bodies: solar panels and pollutants.

Solar panels are rapidly gaining in popularity as a means for harnessing the energy of Earth’s sun, and researchers believe other civilisations will do the same with their own stars as they seek new means to produce energy. “The nearest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri, hosts a habitable planet, Proxima b. The planet is thought to be tidally locked with permanent day and night sides,” said Loeb. “If a civilization wants to illuminate or warm up the night side, they would place photovoltaic cells on the dayside and transfer the electric power gained to the night side.” Frank added.