Technosignature Archives

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Technosignatures: Waste Heat And Habitability: Constraints From Technological Energy Consumption

by Keith CowingJanuary 27, 2025January 27, 2025

Waste heat production represents an inevitable consequence of energy conversion as per the laws of thermodynamics.

(a) Cross sections of four different PAHs in the UV region (0.2-0.4 µm). On average, Naphthalene, Anthracene, and Pyrene have stronger cross-sections among all 4 considered. (b) Collective cross sections of PAHs and other molecules on Earth (taken from Kopparapu et al. (2021)) for the wavelength coverage of a nominal 8m class Habitable Worlds Observatory (0.2-2 µm). PAHs have stronger features than other molecules in this region. The region between 0.3-0.4 µm serves as a promising window to detect PAHs due to the least overlap with other molecular cross-sections. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) As An Extraterrestrial Atmospheric Technosignature

by Keith CowingJanuary 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are prevalent in the universe and interstellar medium but are primarily attributed to anthropogenic sources on Earth, such as fossil fuel combustion and firewood burning.

Continuum noise power and FX complex correlator measurements, observed on MJD 60586, are presented together with the statistical power of 3.7 Hz bandwidth, 0.27 s duration polarized pulse pairs, recorded during the 123.8 day experiment. The high correlator response at 5.5 hr RA is due to the Orion A emission nebula at -5.4º DEC. [10][11]. Instrument delay difference of -82 ns between interferometer elements was compensated by choosing to display the -5 x 16 ns correlator tap. The bandwidth of the continuum and correlator measurements is approximately 50 MHz, at 0.27 s integration. The timedependent geometric space delay was not compensated, resulting in the approximate sawtooth phase response across RA, indicating a period of 0.117 hr RA. The prior pointing direction of interest indicates greater than 6 standard deviations Cohen’s d in the 5.1675 ± 0.00375 hr RA bin, within the prior range, 5.25 ± 0.15 hr RA. A second apparent response is indicated in two adjacent bins centered at 8.8425 hr RA, with apparent RA aliasing at ±0.12 hr RA. Figs. 2 and 3 show detail. -- eess.SP

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Apps - Games, Astronomy & Telescopes, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

A Signal Discovery Step In Interstellar Communication

by Keith CowingDecember 10, 2024December 10, 2024

Prior work using synchronized, geographically spaced radio telescopes, and a radio interferometer, suggests that narrow-bandwidth polarized pulse pair measurements repeatedly falsify a noise-cause hypothesis, given a prior celestial direction of […]

[L] The x-axis is the Sagan’s parameter of the Kardashev civilization Type K. The y-axis is the mass of PBH in solar mass for a fraction fPBH = 0.01. The colour-bar of the contours shows the quantity Kachieved/K − 1, which Kachieved is the amount of civilization parameter achieved by PBHs. [R] The x-axis is the Sagan’s parameter of the Kardashev civilization type. The y-axis is the fraction of PBH for a mass of MPBH = 1M⊙. And the colour-bar of the contours shows the quantity Kachieved/K − 1, which Kachieved is the amount of civilization parameter achieved from PBHs. -- astro-ph.GA

Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Science Fiction, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

In Search of Extraterrestrial Artificial Intelligence through the Dyson Sphere-like structures around the Primordial Black Holes

by Keith CowingDecember 5, 2024December 5, 2024

Are we alone? It is a compelling question that human beings have confronted for centuries. The search for extraterrestrial life is a broad range of quests for finding the simple […]

A diagram of the worldbuilding pipeline developed for this study. The pipeline begins with the global and technology factors that define each scenario from Table 5 and other assumptions common to all scenarios (grey). These inputs are given to the Claude LLM, which then generates a description of the world (blue). Additional narrative and descriptions of the planetary bodies are added manually (purple). This information provides the basis for a human needs assessment that determines the different uses of land on each planetary body (orange). These results are used to describe the physical technosphere and potentially detectable technosignatures (yellow), which provide recommendations for technosignature detection (green). -- astro-ph.IM

Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Science Fiction, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Projections of Earth’s Technosphere. I. Scenario Modeling, Worldbuilding, and Overview of Remotely Detectable Technosignatures

by Keith CowingNovember 30, 2024

This study uses methods from futures studies to develop a set of ten self-consistent scenarios for Earth’s 1000-year future, which can serve as examples for defining technosignature search strategies.

Left: The original Arecibo message intended to be reconstructed, but sent as a linear stream from the radiotelescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The 1,679 bits are meant to be arranged into 23 columns of 73 rows, 23 and 73 being two prime numbers which when multiplied together equal 1,679. Right: If the stream is instead arranged into 23 rows and 73 columns, the original visual interpretations of the message are scrambled, which may result in a figure that is closer to being statistically random. What we show is that the message is still there, concealed, and can be deciphered by algorithmic deconvolution. -- cs.CL

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Decoding Geometric Properties in Non-Random Data from First Information-Theoretic Principles

by Keith CowingNovember 29, 2024November 29, 2024

Based on the principles of information theory, measure theory, and theoretical computer science, we introduce a univariate signal deconvolution method with a wide range of applications to coding theory, particularly […]

Full-cadence dynamic spectra for the two false-positive events found in the reduced Choza et al. (2024) data set, with time from the beginning of the observation on the y-axis and frequency offset from the starting frequency of the event on the x-axis. Each block in a stack is one of the six pointings that make up the ABACAD observing cadence. The event from the DDO 210 observation was also found by Choza et al. (2024), while the event from the NGC 628 observation is new. -- astro-ph.IM

Astronomy & Telescopes, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Anomaly Detection and RFI Classification with Unsupervised Learning in Narrowband Radio Technosignature Searches

by Keith CowingNovember 29, 2024November 29, 2024

The search for radio technosignatures is an anomaly detection problem: candidate signals represent needles of interest in the proverbial haystack of radio-frequency interference (RFI).

The deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratio in astronomical objects and on Earth. A technosignature in exoplanetary water of prolonged deuteriumdeuterium nuclear fusion would plot below natural astronomical D/H values in the green shaded zone and be anomalous. Data sources: Bocklee-Morvan et al. (2015) and references therein for comets; Donahue et al. (1997) for Venus; Mahaffy et al. (2015) for Mars; Table S2 of Alexander et al.(2012) -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Potential Technosignature From Anomalously Low Deuterium/Hydrogen (D/H) In Planetary Water Depleted by Nuclear Fusion Technology

by Keith CowingNovember 28, 2024November 28, 2024

Deuterium-deuterium (DD) fusion is viewed as an ideal energy source for humanity in the far future, given a vast seawater supply of D. Here, we consider long-lived, extraterrestrial, technological societies […]

This Hubble Space Telescope image captures a triple-star system, which can host potentially-habitable planets. Our nearest stellar neighbour, the Alpha Centauri system, includes three stars. Credit NASA, ESA, G. Duchene (Universite de Grenoble I); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures, Stellar Cartography

A New Model Calculates The Chances Of Intelligent Life Elsewhere

by Keith CowingNovember 13, 2024November 13, 2024

The chances of intelligent life emerging in our Universe – and in any hypothetical ones beyond it – can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of […]

Illustration showing communication between planets beyond our solar system looking from the perspective of Earth. New research using the Allen Telescope Array looked for this type of communication, similar to communication between Earth and our rovers on Mars, in the TRAPPIST-1 star system. CREDIT Zayna Sheikh

Astronomy & Telescopes, Intelligence & Language, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures, TRAPPIST-1

Are Nearby TRAPPIST-1 Planets Sending Radio Signals To Each Other?

by Keith CowingOctober 21, 2024October 21, 2024

A new technique allows astronomers to home in on planets beyond our solar system that are in line with each other and with Earth to search for radio signals similar, […]

Technosignature

Technosignatures: Waste Heat And Habitability: Constraints From Technological Energy Consumption

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) As An Extraterrestrial Atmospheric Technosignature

A Signal Discovery Step In Interstellar Communication

In Search of Extraterrestrial Artificial Intelligence through the Dyson Sphere-like structures around the Primordial Black Holes

Projections of Earth’s Technosphere. I. Scenario Modeling, Worldbuilding, and Overview of Remotely Detectable Technosignatures

Decoding Geometric Properties in Non-Random Data from First Information-Theoretic Principles

Anomaly Detection and RFI Classification with Unsupervised Learning in Narrowband Radio Technosignature Searches

Potential Technosignature From Anomalously Low Deuterium/Hydrogen (D/H) In Planetary Water Depleted by Nuclear Fusion Technology

A New Model Calculates The Chances Of Intelligent Life Elsewhere

Are Nearby TRAPPIST-1 Planets Sending Radio Signals To Each Other?

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 5 November 2026: Traverse to Lake Untersee

Blown Sand On Mars Can Spread Microbial Spores From Earth

Can A Self-sustaining Chemical Network Emerge Due To Just A Few Catalysts?

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Detects Hints Of Volcanic Activity On Mars

Using Vibrations To Reveal What Lies Beneath Other Planets’ Surfaces