Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Does the Rise of AI Explain the Great Silence in the Universe?
Artificial Intelligence is making its presence felt in thousands of different ways. It helps scientists make sense of vast troves…
Some Intelligent Civilizations Will Be Trapped on their Worlds
Evolution has produced a wondrously diverse variety of lifeforms here on Earth. It just so happens that talking primates with…
Can Alien Civilizations Detect Humanity?
One of the fascinating things about being a human in this age is that we can do more than wonder…
Breakthrough Listen Scans Entire Galaxies for Signals From Extremely Advanced Civilizations
In 1960, Dr. Frank Drake led the first Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) experiment at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory…
Since Aliens Obey the Laws of Physics, Can We Guess What They Look Like?
Since time immemorial, humans have gazed up at the stars and wondered if we’re alone in the universe. We have…
Gaia is Now Finding Planets. Could it Find Another Earth?
The ESA launched Gaia in 2013 with one overarching goal: to map more than one billion stars in the Milky…
Could We Find Aliens Terraforming Other Worlds?
The first early humans to use fire had no inkling of what it would lead to. Fire was one of…
Is Anyone Planning for Diplomacy with an Extraterrestrial Civilization?
Imagine we detect an interstellar object entering our Solar System. At first, astronomers think it's just another natural interloper like…
Do Technological Civilizations Depend on Atmospheric Oxygen?
Our modern technological civilization wouldn't have been possible without open-air combustion, which can only happen when atmospheric oxygen levels reach…
Astronomers are Searching for a Galaxy-Wide Transmitter Beacon at the Center of the Milky Way
Researchers with the SETI Institute have monitored the center of the Milky Way for possible transmissions from a galactic beacon.