Short Wave

The serious hunt for alien life

February 23, 2026

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  • The search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has historically focused on radio signals, but scientists like astronomer James Davenport are now expanding the search into optical and infrared astronomy to cover significantly more of the potential search space. 
  • The Drake equation, used to estimate the number of communicating civilizations, remains highly uncertain due to unknowns about the emergence and longevity of life, despite recent astrobiology advances confirming that most stars have at least one planet. 
  • The massive Vera Rubin telescope, with its unprecedented camera and mirror size, is expected to transform the search by sampling up to 15-20 billion stars in our galaxy, moving the search effort from a 'hot tub' to an 'Olympic swimming pool' in terms of coverage. 

Segments

SETI Screensaver History
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(00:00:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The SETI at Home project mobilized 3.8 million people using screensavers to analyze radio signals for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
  • Summary: The speaker recalls participating in the SETI at Home project as a teenager, which utilized everyday PCs to process radio signals hitting Earth from space. This community effort aimed to find patterns indicative of intelligent life among signals from stars. The project recruited 3.8 million participants within a few years.
Early SETI Efforts and Scope
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(00:01:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The concerted search for extraterrestrial intelligence dates back to 1924 with David Todd’s attempt to listen for Martian signals during a radio blackout.
  • Summary: In 1924, astronomer David Todd convinced radio stations across the U.S. and South America to go silent for five minutes on the hour for several days to listen for signals from Mars. Although this early attempt found no ‘Martian NPR,’ humans have continued the search for intelligent life. Current efforts have only explored a tiny fraction of the potential data, likened to examining a pint glass of water compared to the entire ocean.
Drake Equation and Astrobiology
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(00:04:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The Drake equation frames the problem of estimating communicating civilizations, with recent astrobiology confirming that every star has at least one planet on average.
  • Summary: The Drake equation attempts to quantify the likelihood of intelligent life sending signals, factoring in variables like the number of stars and the fraction that host life capable of transmission. Astrobiology has advanced the understanding of the initial terms, revealing that there are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone. The equation is an illustration outlining the problem, not a strict mathematical proof, as it often omits the variable of time civilizations exist.
Project Ozma and Modern SETI
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(00:07:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Modern SETI officially began in 1960 with Frank Drake’s Project Ozma, which used radio telescopes to intentionally search for technological transmissions.
  • Summary: Frank Drake pioneered modern SETI in 1960 by using a radio telescope to listen for intentional transmissions, naming the effort Project Ozma after the Wizard of Oz. Since the official start of SETI in 1985, the search scope has expanded from a ‘pint glass’ to roughly a ‘hot tub’ of the total parameter space. Astronomers are now integrating optical astronomy data into the search methodology.
Impact of Vera Rubin Telescope
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(00:09:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The Vera Rubin telescope, featuring the world’s largest digital camera, will sample over 10 billion stars, representing a ’total transformational shift’ for astronomy and SETI.
  • Summary: The Vera Rubin telescope, currently being commissioned in Chile, will create a mosaic movie of the sky over 10 years using a camera the size of a small car attached to an eight-and-a-half-meter mirror. This instrument will increase the sample size of observed stars from one or two billion up to 10 or 20 billion in our galaxy. The data collected is permanent due to photography and computers, allowing future analysis of events missed today.
Patience in Scientific Discovery
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(00:11:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The search for extraterrestrial life requires immense patience, as it may take a thousand years to definitively answer whether humanity is alone.
  • Summary: The inspiration for continuing the search lies not solely in immediate success but in the journey of discovery itself. It may take centuries to fully explore the vast parameter space of the universe for signs of life. Preserving recorded data is crucial because a star that appears uninteresting now might exhibit a significant event decades later.