Alien Life: Radio Signals

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Scientists may have (finally?) found proof that ET really is phoning home — in the form of powerful radio signals, which have been detected repeatedly in the same exact location in space.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/scien ... 3036190781
According to experts, the repeating radio signals could only be the result of two things: i) solar flares from a neutron star or ii) radio signals from an extraterrestrial spy satellite

The likelihood this is a coincidence is estimated to be a 1 in 2000 chance so should provide the hottest bet to date for meeting our distant alien cousins

It's described as a "terrestrial spy satellite" not a "extra-terrestrial spy satellite."

Let's not start any "War of the Worlds" "invasion of the Martians" style panic.

Why should the idea that there is alien life start a 'war of the worlds' style panic?

Also I think they mean terrestrial satellites can emit signals like the ones they've found....not that the specific signal being discussed is from one. That signal is coming from a constellation 3 billion light years away, so very unlikely it is a terrestrial satellite responsible for this. However not impossible it could be a satellite like craft built by extraterrestrials of some sort...or as they said it could merely be solar flares from a neuron star.

About the panic: ZenDen is saying that the OP is making it sound like ET is on our doorstep, and with hostile intent, by saying that the signal is from an "extraterrestrial spy satellite" (which is a huge distortion of what the article said). Your next point is the very point ZenDen made: the scientists quoted in the article are suggesting mundane explanations -which include the possibility that the signal came from a secret spy satellite from earth spying on earth, and has nothing to do with ET phoning us or phoning home, or "spying" on us.

About your next point: exactly!

The signal is coming from three billion light years away. ET probably isnt there anymore anyway. But if he still lives there-at that distance he cant be an imminent threat to us! Lol!

I read it simply as this could be evidence for alien life, they aren't even sure it is an extraterrestrial signal yet let alone what its trying to communicate if it is, so I see no real reason for an 'alien invasion panic' over the O.P. especially if you read the article as well.

I would imagine if there are alien life forms there are multiple, not just one 'E.T'. Also though why would alien life necessarily be an imminent threat? Wouldn't that sort of depend on the type of alien life and what their intentions are towards this planet if any?

I am more worried about humans posing an imminent threat to ourselves with all those nukes than aliens posing any imminent threat, in fact if there where more advanced alien beings who recognize the uselessness of such weapons who could safely disable or take away all the nukes I'd welcome them. That is pretty unlikely but sometimes it can be entertaining to fantasize.

People have a natural tendency to fear the unknown. Recall the cover ups governments have made concerning UFOs and ET encounter claims.

I for one would be pretty excited at the prospect of meeting folk from other galaxies or planets. I'm sure quite a lot of us here on WP would feel the same!

But the less advanced people who can't even get along with their own species / kin who are of a different race or religion won't likely be open to accepting ETs, however friendly they may prove to be should they exist.

how did we come to the assumption that aliens want the earth for humans?

we may be the most technologically advanced, but parrots are interesting too.

This could easily be an artificial satellite. In one of the links they estimate they've received 234 signals from different points in space, in the same general location, which would be exactly how you would see a geosynchronous satellite from earth.

They surmise aliens would want to use something "more sophisticated than microwaves".....I wonder where they pulled that idea from? Overactive imaginations?

The thing is, you see, that the Auriga constellation (FRB 121102) is approx. 3 billion light years away. So unless the suspected aliens have learned how to make light move faster than the speed of light as we know it, the messages were sent 3 billion years ago. What type of civilization would send a 3 billion year old message which says simply "WE ARE HERE?" Doesn't exactly sound like an invasion is forthcoming does it?

It's quite doubtful any race sophisticated enough to perform this type of scientific wizardry would be interested in our puny planet with trillions to choose from, if invasion were on their mind, 3 billion years ago (when our little planet was just begun.

Additionally there was a discussion in another thread where it was proposed there couldn't be much intelligence developing that early in our universe (using the Big Bang Theory's conjectures as our "beginning of time") because of the lack of heavy elements in the early expanding universe.

EDIT: The intelligences sending such a message would therefor be from planets nearly 7-8 billion years old and the estimated age of the universe is only 13.82 billion years old. Just leaves barely enough time for heavy elements to form and coalesce into galaxies and star systems.

That stars are very far away. I doubt whether any allien artifiact is within our solar system. When they actually bring in a clearly non-terrestrial artifact and it is examined minutely to show it could not have been made on Earth then I will believe it.

we also might not be the most technologically advanced.

Do you mean (a) aliens ARE indeed visiting Earth in flying saucers daily after crossing 100's of light years of interstellar space, but (b) they are not here to check US out, but because they find parrots fascinating to study?

My theory is that think that the human species are slaves to the cows, and they think that cows dominate the planet. And thats why there are so many cattle mutilations associated with UFO sightings.

Some satirist decades ago suggested that space aliens visiting earth would think that the dominant form of life on earth is the automobile. And the humans are like tape worms (parasites of the cars). And the aliens would study the life cycle of the car with fascination: its birth on assembly lines, and its often violent death in combat with other cars, etc.

certainly not in this universe, and true, perhaps not even on earth, i've noticed some lemurs and even my own guava trees up to some pretty funny things...

we don't know what other animals would say if they could articulate themselves in the way we can. we've only been around 200,000-odd years, who says we're ideal "earth spokespeople"? i hesitate to project our own sense of hierarchy to extraterrestrial life.



if that's true, wouldn't they notice something was up whenever they observed humans and their robot allies building and dismantling cars and not the other way around? what would they think of car dealerships?

or...maybe humans are actually beneficial parasites who only managed to find hosts some 120 years ago, and car dealerships are actually a meeting site for young, uninitiated cars, separated by "tribe", to gain their first set of hosts (their "milk hosts") so they may function properly and be able to join adult society - similar to how a termite gains its needed gut flora? i mean... they don't seem to do much without us.

It would be really cool to be able to determine that these bursts are from extra-terrestrials. However, unless these signals contained vast amounts of information, it will do us no good beyond knowing we aren't alone. It would take billions of years for a one way transmission. A tough conversation at best...

We should remember that we're just in the beginning of our time as tool using entities. We're learning at a good pace but find there are always more and more complexities to learn. For us to discover hidden information in these transmissions is no great stretch of the imagination. I fully expect/hope we will.

Earlier I asked: "What type of civilization would send a 3 billion year old message which says simply "WE ARE HERE?"

We may not have grown up enough, as a species, to answer that question properly. But if this is true (and there are also signals from many other areas in the constellation as well) then perhaps it's an invitation into the family of intelligent species? I'd imagine ALL species have the same questions.

To send a message 3 billion light years away (and to be realistic this might have been meant for someone much closer to the sender) with no expectation of an answer, must mean it is a message with significant content and meaning.

It awakens my inner (and outer) space explorer.

Translated FRB sequence 1:

"Our overuse of the phlogiston to power our habitats and starships has caused the early nova syndrome in all our home stars. Any major spacefaring civilization please respond. If we are not rescued within 1.4x10⁶ minutes, extinction will occur."

Translated FRB sequence 2:

"Sorry about the interference. There is a distress call from a long dead civilization on this freq. As soon as your [no translation] is repaired, get off this open channel. The enemy can hear us on this freq, too. Retreat to position [no translation] and execute alternate plan."