NEWSWEEK: NASA 60th Anniversary: Why Haven't We Found Aliens Yet?

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    For instance, scientists can only guess at the frequencies extraterrestrial civilizations would transmit at, said Dr. Michael Garrett, professor in the school of physics and astrophysics at Manchester University, U.K. “Surveying billions of frequency channels for a signal takes a lot of effort and a lot of computing,” he told Newsweek.

    Thanks to the dedication of physicists, in the past decade techniques for exploring space have advanced rapidly, said Wiens. Now, astrophysicists are now more optimistic we could find intelligent life outside of Earth. “These are tremendously exciting times,” according to Garrett.

    “I think over the next 20 to 30 years, we might be able to say something definitive about whether there is life in other bodies on the solar system,” says Garrett. “As for the universe, well the universe is a big place—I doubt we could ever say definitively that life was only present on the Earth.”

    But maybe we're looking at this all wrong, argues Garrett. "Maybe it’s not a technical breakthrough we require. Maybe we have to earn the right to be part of the galactic club—it might be a technical leap that we need to make perhaps hundreds of years in our future or something else.​ Maybe by the time we can share resources on this planet, and learn to live together in peace, we’ll have the answer."

    Period28 Sept 2018

    Media contributions

    1

    Media contributions

    • TitleNASA 60th Anniversary: Why Haven't We Found Aliens Yet?
      Media name/outletNewsweek
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date28/09/18
      DescriptionFor instance, scientists can only guess at the frequencies extraterrestrial civilizations would transmit at, said Dr. Michael Garrett, professor in the school of physics and astrophysics at Manchester University, U.K. “Surveying billions of frequency channels for a signal takes a lot of effort and a lot of computing,” he told Newsweek.

      Thanks to the dedication of physicists, in the past decade techniques for exploring space have advanced rapidly, said Wiens. Now, astrophysicists are now more optimistic we could find intelligent life outside of Earth. “These are tremendously exciting times,” according to Garrett.

      “I think over the next 20 to 30 years, we might be able to say something definitive about whether there is life in other bodies on the solar system,” says Garrett. “As for the universe, well the universe is a big place—I doubt we could ever say definitively that life was only present on the Earth.”
      But maybe we're looking at this all wrong, argues Garrett. "Maybe it’s not a technical breakthrough we require. Maybe we have to earn the right to be part of the galactic club—it might be a technical leap that we need to make perhaps hundreds of years in our future or something else.​ Maybe by the time we can share resources on this planet, and learn to live together in peace, we’ll have the answer."
      URLhttps://www.newsweek.com/nasa-60th-anniversary-why-havent-we-found-aliens-yet-1141542?utm_source=Public&utm_medium=Feed&utm_campaign=Distribution
      PersonsMichael Garrett

    Keywords

    • aliens
    • SETI
    • radio astronomy