In the 20th century the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence began, and the Drake equation was proposed to estimate the number of extraterrestrial species humanity could attempt to detect, N. […]
NYU
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Life On Miller's Planet: The Habitable Zone Around Supermassive Black Holes
In the science fiction film Interstellar, a band of intrepid astronauts sets out to explore a system of planets orbiting a supermassive black hole, searching for a world that may […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Locating Potential ET Communication Networks in Space
There have been periodic efforts in recent decades to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), especially by trying to find an extraterrestrial (ET) radio signal or other technosignature in space. Yet, […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Persistence of Technosignatures: A Comment on Lingam and Loeb
In a recent paper in this journal, Lingam and Loeb (2018) develop an excellent heuristic for searches for biosignatures vs. technosignatures. We consider two ways in which their approach could […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Advanced Aspects Of Galactic Habitability
Context. Astrobiological evolution of the Milky Way (or the shape of its “astrobiological landscape”) has emerged as one of the key research topics in recent years. In order to build […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
The Fermi Paradox and the Aurora Effect: Exo-civilization Settlement, Expansion and Steady States
We model the settlement of the galaxy by space-faring civilizations in order to address issues related to the Fermi Paradox. We explore the problem in a way that avoids assumptions […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
A Critical Review on the Assumptions of SETI
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) makes certain assumptions which guide all current search programs. To illustrate some, this includes (1) that interstellar flight is not possible (2) that the […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Interstellar Probes: The Benefits to Astronomy and Astrophysics
Long range observations in the field of astronomy have opened up our understanding of the Solar System, the Galaxy and the wider Universe. In this paper we discuss the idea […]
Posted inPanspermia, Press Release
Planting Earth Life on Habitable but Sterile M-dwarf Oxygen Planets
Time is arguably the key limiting factor for interstellar exploration. At high speeds, flyby missions to nearby stars by laser propelled wafersats taking 50-100 years would be feasible. Directed energy […]
Posted inSETI & Technosignatures
Relative Likelihood of Success in the Searches for Primitive versus Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life
We estimate the relative likelihood of success in the searches for primitive versus intelligent life on other planets. Taking into account the larger search volume for detectable artificial electromagnetic signals, […]