
The Return of SETI - Hooke
http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/09/the-return-of-seti/407944/?single_page=true
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garraeth
If you like hearing science from "the horses mouth" (vs/ TV), you may enjoy
their YouTube channel with weekly lectures on a variety of topics and
generally very cutting-edge:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQdkHKOTVT_chwgDcau4sg](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQdkHKOTVT_chwgDcau4sg)

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nonbel
I've been wondering, what procedures are used by SETI researchers to avoid
announcing false positives? Since there would seem to be ample opportunity for
generating media hype surrounding what they find, I am surprised we don't hear
about more possible discoveries.

That suggests to me a detailed description of their protocols may help
researchers in other areas. For example, I doubt they use p<0.05 to decide a
discovery has occurred.

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Animats
Yes, there's an agreed procedure.[1]

[1] [http://www.seti.org/post-detection.html](http://www.seti.org/post-
detection.html)

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nonbel
Thanks. Some is specific to SETI and most of the rest looks like good
scientific common sense (independent verification, share all the data). The
first step is still rather vague though:

>"(the discoverer) should seek to verify that the most plausible explanation
for the evidence is the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence rather than
some other natural phenomenon or anthropogenic phenomenon before making any
public announcement."

What goes into "seek[ing] to verify that the most plausible explanation for
the evidence is the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence"?

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toomuchtodo
[http://www.seti.org/faq](http://www.seti.org/faq)

How would we know that the signal is from ET?

Virtually all radio SETI experiments have looked for what are called “narrow-
band signals.” These are radio emissions that extend over only a small part of
the radio spectrum. Imagine tuning your car radio late at night … There’s
static everywhere on the dial, but suddenly you hear a squeal – a signal at a
particular frequency – and you know you’ve found a station.

Narrow-band signals – perhaps only a few Hertz wide or less – are the mark of
a purposely built transmitter. Natural cosmic noisemakers, such as pulsars,
quasars, and the turbulent, thin interstellar gas of our own Milky Way, do not
make radio signals that are this narrow. The static from these objects is
spread all across the dial.

In terrestrial radio practice, narrow-band signals are often called
“carriers.” They pack a lot of energy into a small amount of spectral space,
and consequently are the easiest type of signal to find for any given power
level. If E.T. intentionally sends us a signal, those signals may well have at
least one narrow-band component to get our attention.

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rplst8
What if ET discovered UWB before us and that is their primary means of
communication?

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toomuchtodo
If ET is looking to talk to someone, they're going to talk down to our level
(in my opinion), hence the targeting of narrowband communications.

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CoffeeDregs
There are forms of SETI besides the listening-for-interesting-signals kind.
Looking for large-scale artifacts also exists:

[http://home.fnal.gov/~carrigan/infrared_astronomy/Fermilab_s...](http://home.fnal.gov/~carrigan/infrared_astronomy/Fermilab_search.htm)

[http://www.space.com/24269-how-to-search-for-alien-
civilizat...](http://www.space.com/24269-how-to-search-for-alien-
civilizations.html)

I find these fascinating: let's consider the branching tree of ways
civilizations might grow and then look for evidence for leaves on that tree.

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IndianAstronaut
This may be more effective. I really doubt we will find ET unless it
specifically wants to be found with radio signals.

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torrance
The Breakthrough Initiatives project was announced earlier this year, and was
accompanied by a neat video created by Seth McFarlane:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrXeRK2B6z8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrXeRK2B6z8)

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jtokoph
"In June, the Russian billionaire Yuri Milner pledged $100 million"

Interestingly, this is also the same amount he spent on his California home.

