Alien Signals May Be Hiding in a Radio Band SETI Has Barely Explored
Researchers found no candidate signals in four archived observations, but the study suggests high-frequency radio data could expand SETI searches far beyond the water hole.
- Louisa Mason, a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester, conducted the first SETI survey using archived Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data in Chile, exploring uncharted high-frequency cosmic bands for potential extraterrestrial signals.
- For decades, SETI searches have concentrated on the "water hole" between 1.42 and 1.66 GHz, a quiet radio band linked to hydrogen and hydroxyl. Mason sought to investigate unexplored millimeter and submillimeter frequencies instead.
- Mason applied the Besancon Galactic Model to previous surveys, revealing observations covered more than 6.1 million stars rather than roughly 288,000 identified by Gaia catalogs. This process identifies "stellar bycatch" within existing data.
- Although the study detected no candidate technosignatures above survey thresholds, the work demonstrated how re-analyzing archived observations expands SETI efforts without requiring expensive new telescope time.
- These results encourage future astronomers to search more widely across the radio spectrum while combining high-frequency observations with galactic simulations to better understand survey volumes and determine where to look next.
11 Articles
11 Articles
SETI Alien Signal Search Expands: University of Manchester Researchers Scour ALMA Data
Louisa Mason, a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester, has used archived data from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile to look for alien signals at radio frequencies that have barely been searched before. Analysing observations, Mason executed the first-ever ALMA telescope technosignature survey to explore uncharted cosmic bands. The study, presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Mee…
Universe Today
Knowridge Science ReportAlien Signals May Hide in Unexplored High Radio Frequencies
Confirming the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence via radio signals, also called technosignatures, is the cornerstone of radio astronomy. While humanity has been asking since time immemorial whether or not we’re alone in the universe, radio astronomers are at the frontlines trying to tirelessly answer this longstanding question. To accomplish this, they’ve traditionally focused on a specific radio frequency band called the “water hole”, …
For the first time, an ALMA analysis is looking for alien signals in hardly researched high radio frequencies – so far without finding them.
A new generation of devices will be "tailored" to search for biosignatures. The lack of signals from extraterrestrial civilizations may be explained by space weather. A new study has shown that radiation and coronal mass ejections from stars can alter radio signals so much that they are simply not detected by modern telescopes. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a study by scientists published in The Astrophisycal Journal. The Impact of Sp…
Alien Signals May Be Hiding in a Radio Band SETI Has Barely Explored
Archived radio observations could open new frequencies to SETI while showing that past searches covered millions more stars than previously estimated. A potential extraterrestrial signal could be hiding in radio frequencies that modern searches for intelligent life have barely examined. Most radio SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) projects concentrate on frequencies from 1.42 to 1.66 [...]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 78% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
