Zenith Grant Awardee
Dr. Abraham Loeb
Harvard College Observatory
Co-Investigators
Matias Zaldarriaga, <i>Harvard College Observatory</i>
Project Title
Utilizing the Mileura Wide-Field Array to Search for Intelligent Extra-Terrestrial Life
Project Summary
The question of whether intelligent life exists elsewhere is one of the most fundamental unknowns about our Universe. If conclusive evidence for life elsewhere is found, it could revolutionize the way we view our place in the cosmos. Over the past decade numerous extra-solar planets have been discovered, providing new urgency for addressing this question. Coincidentally, new radio observatories are currently being constructed to detect low-frequency emission from cosmic hydrogen in the infant Universe. The frequency range of these experiments happens to overlap with the range of frequencies used for radar, TV and radio broadcasting on Earth. We propose to examine the prospects for detecting similar radio signals from extra-solar planets that would indicate the presence of intelligent life there. The PI and Co-I are members of one of the funded low-frequency experiments, namely the Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA) in western Australia, which is expected to start observations in a few years. Our study would help design the observing strategy and data recording/analysis that would optimize the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. We will also explore the likely characteristics of the anticipated signal and ways of disentangling it from other astronomical emissions.
Technical Abstract
The question of whether intelligent life exists elsewhere is one of the most fundamental unknowns about our Universe. If conclusive evidence for life elsewhere is found, it could revolutionize the way we view our place in the cosmos. Over the past decade numerous extra-solar planets have been discovered, providing new urgency for addressing this question. Coincidentally, new radio observatories are currently being constructed to detect low-frequency emission from cosmic hydrogen in the infant Universe. The frequency range of these experiments happens to overlap with the range of frequencies used for radar, TV and radio broadcasting on Earth. We propose to examine the prospects for detecting similar radio signals from extra-solar planets that would indicate the presence of intelligent life there. The PI and Co-I are members of one of the funded low-frequency experiments, namely the Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA) in western Australia, which is expected to start observations in a few years. Our study would help design the observing strategy and data recording/analysis that would optimize the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. We will also explore the likely characteristics of the anticipated signal and ways of disentangling it from astronomical foregrounds.
QSpace Latest
PressRelease: Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
All living organisms emit a low level of light radiation, but the origin and function of these ‘biophotons’ are not yet fully understood. An international team of physicists, funded by the Foundational Questions Institute, FQxI, has proposed a new approach for investigating this phenomenon based on statistical analyses of this emission. Their aim is to test whether biophotons can play a role in the transport of information within and between living organisms, and whether monitoring biophotons could contribute to the development of medical techniques for the early diagnosis of various diseases. Their analyses of the measurements of the faint glow emitted by lentil seeds support models for the emergence of a kind of plant ‘intelligence,’ in which the biophotonic emission carries information and may thus be used by plants as a means to communicate. The team reported this and reviewed the history of biophotons in an article in the journal Applied Sciences in June 2024.