When searching for signs of extraterrestial life, exactly what are looking for?
In: Biology
Anything that’s not natural, or what we consider to be natural. On earth for example, an alien might see straight line structures and conclude they’re a sign of intelligent life (straight, symmetrical structures are very rare in nature).
In space we’re focusing on energy emissions, especially radio waves, and their patterns.
A burst of radiation that occurs once or twice every few years? Probably natural. One that appears precisely every two hours, follows a pattern, and originates from the same place? Might be worth investigating.
Our theory is that a space-faring species will have developed technology to either broadcast their presence through the galaxy, or significantly alter their environment at a planetary scale in a way that we could observe, whether directly or indirectly.
Latest Answers