Humanity is on the threshold of being able to detect signs of alien life on other worlds.
By studying exoplanet atmospheres, we can look for gases like oxygen and methane that only coexist if replenished by life. But those gases come from simple life forms like microbes. What about advanced civilizations? Would they leave any detectable signs?
They might, if they spew industrial pollution into the atmosphere. New research by theorists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) shows that we could spot the fingerprints of certain pollutants under ideal conditions. This would offer a new approach in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
“We consider industrial pollution as a sign of intelligent life, but perhaps civilizations more advanced than us, with their own SETI programs, will consider pollution as a sign of unintelligent life since it’s not smart to contaminate your own air,” says Harvard student and lead author Henry Lin.
“People often refer to ETs as ‘little green men,’ but the ETs detectable by this method should not be labeled ‘green’ since they are environmentally unfriendly,” adds Harvard co-author Avi Loeb.
The team, which also includes Smithsonian scientist Gonzalo Gonzalez Abad, finds that the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) should be able to detect two kinds of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — ozone-destroying chemicals used in solvents and aerosols. They calculated that JWST could tease out the signal of CFCs if atmospheric levels were 10 times those on Earth. A particularly advanced civilization might intentionally pollute the atmosphere to high levels and globally warm a planet that is otherwise too cold for life.
There is one big caveat to this work. JWST can only detect pollutants on an Earth-like planet circling a white dwarf star, which is what remains when a star like our Sun dies. That scenario would maximize the atmospheric signal. Finding pollution on an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star would require an instrument beyond JWST — a next-next-generation telescope.
Read more . . .
The Latest on: Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
via Google News
The Latest on: Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
- Anybody can help in the search for habitable exoplanets and extraterrestrial intelligence, and this is howon November 19, 2019 at 7:01 am
Contrary to what some people may believe, big telescopes or radio telescopes are not necessarily needed to help scientists in the search for exoplanets and extra-terrestrial intelligence. Any person ...
- Humanity’s Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence Is Intensifyingon October 31, 2019 at 6:31 pm
(Bloomberg) -- A group of scientists want to help mankind get in touch with aliens. The initiative, called the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, uses large radio telescopes pointed ...
- With NASA telescope on board, search for intelligent aliens 'more credible'on October 24, 2019 at 1:59 pm
Astronomers dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) have announced a new collaboration with scientists working on a NASA telescope. To find out, AFP spoke to scientist Jill ...
- NASA Planet-Hunter Joins Search for Intelligent Alienson October 24, 2019 at 7:38 am
Scientists working on NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have joined the Breakthrough Listen initiative in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Launched in April 2018, ...
- The search for extraterrestrial intelligenceon October 18, 2019 at 2:30 pm
As far as we know, humanity is alone in the Universe: there is no definite evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial life, let alone extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs) capable of communicating ...
- Intelligent Ways to Search for Extraterrestrialson October 8, 2019 at 8:47 am
The committee cited his commitment to approaching the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in “a rational and productive manner.” Wright was born in 1977, and grew up in the suburbs outside ...
- Curious Kids: what has the search for extraterrestrial life actually yielded and how does it work?on September 26, 2019 at 7:06 pm
I am lucky enough to be a professional “alien hunter” for the Breakthrough Listen project, which is the biggest search for extraterrestrial intelligence we humans have ever undertaken. My role in the ...
- Bridenstine: U.S. Should Lead Search For Extraterrestrial Lifeon September 16, 2019 at 8:18 am
You must have an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) account or subscribe to this Market Briefing to access "Bridenstine: U.S. Should Lead Search For Extraterrestrial Life". Current Aviation ...
- The search for extraterrestrial intelligenceon September 15, 2019 at 9:55 am
As far as we know, humanity is alone in the Universe: there is no definite evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial life ... Before we even begin a search, we must be clear about the physical ...
- Search for space aliens comes up empty, but extraterrestrial life could still be out thereon July 1, 2019 at 9:40 am
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, is a numbers game — and bigger numbers are better. The more places you look for alien beings — the more expansive your search — the greater the ...
via Bing News