Scientists report that a revolutionary AI learning technique has identified eight never-before-seen “signals of interest” in the quest for extraterrestrial life.
Astrophysicists have recently proposed that puzzling signals emanating from five stars near our planet could signify extraterrestrial intelligence.
By reaching these targets, and those like them, scientists suggest that artificial intelligence could enable us to uncover signs of extraterrestrial life.
Much of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is focused on finding “technosignatures”, or signals that could be a result of alien technology, either purposefully sent out into space or unintentionally transmitted.
Nevertheless, researchers find it difficult to identify technosignatures due to the tremendous number of potential interference sources.
The recently released system is designed to help researchers sift through the array of data from outer space, rapidly distinguish possible signals that could be useful, and identify false positives generated by human-made devices. This will aid them in expeditiously distinguishing helpful information while eliminating extraneous noise.
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A brand-new paper detailing the system reveals that it has already uncovered eight “promising extraterrestrial intelligence signals of interest” which had previously gone undetected.
Unfortunately, repeated observation of the same targets has not yet produced signals that are similar to those previously detected, according to scientists.
Predominantly, the search for technosignatures has centered on radio frequencies due to their easy transportation through space and ability to construct sending and detecting mechanisms expeditiously. Particularly speaking, scientists are honing in on narrowband radio signals which can be distinguished from universal natural radio emissions with more ease.
Scientists combed through 115 million pieces of data, and uncovered almost 3 million signals that sparked interest. Researchers noted the possibility of an “overcount” due to the way in which the system searches for snippets, and many signs could have originated from interference.
Following the elimination of false positives, the researchers ended up with 20,515 signals. After further analysis and observation, they identified eight remarkable “signals of interest” that intrigued them significantly.
Astronomers have detected eight signals from five distinct stars, all located between 30 to 90 light years away from our planet.
Hoping to uncover the source of these signals, researchers emphasize that further examination is necessary. They remain unable to reach any conclusion concerning whether or not extraterrestrial intelligence originated them. To this end, they urge other scientists to persist in their investigation into the mysterious signals in search of a viable answer.