Energy

Study On Mysterious Space Signals Offers Eye-Popping Possible Origin

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Andrew Follett Energy and Science Reporter
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Mysterious signals called fast radio bursts (FRB) are from deep space and could be evidence of advanced alien technology, according to a study Australian scientists published Monday.

The study concluded that FRB could be generated by advanced aliens. FRB are millisecond long pulses of radio light originating from extremely deep space. They are roughly one billion times more luminous than anything ever detected in our own Milky Way galaxy.

“Perhaps the most bizarre explanation for the FRBs is that they were alien transmissions,” Dr. Matthew Bailes, a professor at Swinburne University of Technology, said in a press statement.

The scientists observed three FRBs with the Molonglo radio telescope in Australia during their research. The study was conducted by scientists from Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology and the Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO).

The research has caused the government-funded Australian Research Council to approve upgrades to the telescope so that it can track the FRBs in other galaxies.

Other research has previously suggested that FRBs might be leakage from extremely technologically advanced aliens using planet-sized transmitters to power interstellar probes in distant galaxies. The FRB’s level of power could plausibly be used to push payloads of a million tons of probes or spacecraft to extremely high speeds using interstellar light sails.

Such a transmitter would need to focus a beam on a sail continuously to power it, meaning observers on Earth would only see a brief flash because the sail and its host planet are moving relative to us. A repeated appearances of such a beam could be a sign of its artificial origin.

Radio astronomers detected numerous milliseconds fast radio bursts, from various parts of space. FRB 121102 was particularly intriguing to scientists, as the signal sporadically repeated and scientists have long thought that a repeating signal could be an indicator of an intelligent alien civilization.

“These radio flashes must have enormous amounts of energy to be visible from that distance,” Dr. Shami Chatterjee, an astronomer at Cornell University who was involved in the research, told Universe Today. “It was like trying to find a needle in a terabyte haystack. It took a lot of algorithmic work to find it.”

Researchers aren’t sure what caused the powerful repeating signal, but there were other explanations that are purely natural. Astronomers believed stellar oddities were caused by aliens before, when in reality they were simply unknown, new phenomenon.

Scientists estimate that the odds of humanity being the only civilization in the universe are less than one chance in about “10 billion trillion.”

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