SETI INSTITUTE Activity Report October 2017
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SETI Is Part of Astrobiology
SETI is Part of Astrobiology Jason T. Wright Department of Astronomy & Physics Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds Penn State University Phone: (814) 863-8470 [email protected] I. SETI is Part of Astrobiology “Traditional SETI is not part of astrobiology” declares the NASA Astrobiology Strategy 2015 document (p. 150). This is incorrect.1 Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe, in particular its “origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe.” [emphasis mine] Searches for biosignatures are searches for the results of interactions between life and its environment, and could be sensitive to even primitive life on other worlds. As such, these searches focus on the origin and evolution of life, using past life on Earth as a guide. But some of the most obvious ways in which Earth is inhabited today are its technosignatures such as radio transmissions, alterations of its atmosphere by industrial pollutants, and probes throughout the Solar System. It seems clear that the future of life on Earth includes the development of ever more obvious technosignatures. Indeed, the NASA Astrobiology Strategy 2015 document acknowledges “the possibility” that such technosignatures exist, but erroneously declares them to be “not part of contemporary SETI,” and mentions them only to declare that we should “be aware of the possibility” and to “be sure to include [technosignatures] as a possible kind of interpretation we should consider as we begin to get data on the exoplanets.” In other words, while speculation on the nature of biosignatures and the design of multi-billion dollar missions to find those signatures is consistent with NASA’s vision for astrobiology, speculation on the nature of technosignatures and the design of observations to find them is not. -
ASU Colloquium
New Frontiers in Artifact SETI: Waste Heat, Alien Megastructures, and "Tabby's Star" Jason T Wright Penn State University SESE Colloquium Arizona State University October 4, 2017 Contact (Warner Bros.) What is SETI? • “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence” • A field of study, like cosmology or planetary science • SETI Institute: • Research center in Mountain View, California • Astrobiology, astronomy, planetary science, radio SETI • Runs the Allen Telescope Array • Berkeley SETI Research Center: • Hosted by the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department • Mostly radio astronomy and exoplanet detection • Runs SETI@Home • Runs the $90M Breakthrough Listen Project Communication SETI The birth of Radio SETI 1960 — Cocconi & Morrison suggest interstellar communication via radio waves Allen Telescope Array Operated by the SETI Institute Green Bank Telescope Operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Artifact SETI Dyson (1960) Energy-hungry civilizations might use a significant fraction of available starlight to power themselves Energy is never “used up”, it is just converted to a lower temperature If a civilization collects or generates energy, that energy must emerge at higher entropy (e.g. mid-infrared radiation) This approach is general: practically any energy use by a civilization should give a star (or galaxy) a MIR excess IRAS All-Sky map (1983) The discovery of infrared cirrus complicated Dyson sphere searches. Credit: NASA GSFC, LAMBDA Carrigan reported on the Fermilab Dyson Sphere search with IRAS: Lots of interesting red sources: -
David Grinspoon Planetary Science Institute 2017 Report Report On
David Grinspoon Planetary Science Institute 2017 Report Report on research and education activities: My research activities in 2017 included contributing to the Japanese Akatsuki Venus mission as a Contributing Scientist. Several papers are in preparation. Also this year I continued work on the ROCKE3D node of the NASA NexSS (NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science). Out of this work I am co-author of a paper that was published in Geophysics Research Letters. I also contributed as Co-I to the proposal for the Venus New Frontiers missions VICI and VISAGE, neither of which was selected for Phase A funding. On the heels of this loss I am now a Co-I on a team that is preparing a proposal for the next Discovery competition. This year I completed a book entitled “Chasing New Horizons”, co-authored with Dr. Alan Stern, which chronicles the history of the New Horizons mission to Pluto. It will be published May 1, 2018, by Picador Books. Also, this year This year I joined the Committee on the Status of Women of the American Astronomical Society. I gave invited talks at Princeton University, Hunter College, University of Iowa, University of Victoria, University of Utrecht, University of Stellenbosch (South Africa),Stevens Institute of Technology, MIT, Johns Hopkins University and at the American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans I have participated in numerous public outreach activities including magazine writing, hosting and appearing as a guest on radio shows, moderating public discussions, and giving lectures. I also joined the scientific advisory board of the SETI Institute. Publications: Way, M. -
Defenses That Hurt Science ______By Avi Loeb on June 4, 2021
Defenses That Hurt Science _______ By Avi Loeb on June 4, 2021 In the highlighted subtitle of a recent New-York Times Op-Ed, Bret Stephens stated: "Sometimes science is hurt most by those who think they are defending it". This sentiment resonates with many examples that go beyond the topic of his Op-Ed. Let me elaborate. When the nitrogen iceberg model was proposed recently to explain the weird properties of the first interstellar object `Oumuamua, it was immediately embraced by mainstream astronomers with a sigh of relief that the anomalous object was finally explained. We had never seen a chunk of frozen nitrogen floating within the Solar system before, and being detected first - `Oumuamua should represent the most common type of objects ejected by other planetary systems; but this was of little concern for the advocates. Shortly afterwards, my student Amir Siraj and I posted a paper showing that this model requires much more raw material of heavy elements than available in stars within the Milky Way galaxy. This was not a reflection on the previously noted abundance problem for interstellar objects, but a specific deficiency of the nitrogen model - which associates `Oumuamua with a fragment chipped off the surface of a Pluto-like planet around another star. The limited supply of nitrogen on exo-Pluto surfaces and the requirement that the interstellar journey would last just half a billion years - or else most of the nitrogen would evaporate, leads to a mass budget problem. But why should the mainstream worry about a fundamental drawback when the agenda is to sideline the weirdness of `Oumuamua? In another recent Op-Ed, Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute downgraded the scientific credentials of the anticipated report on Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), to be delivered by the Pentagon and various intelligence agencies to Congress this month. -
Dr. Seth Shostak
Written Text for Congressional Testimony Advances in the Search for Life Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute 189 Bernardo Ave., #200, Mountain View, CA 94043, [email protected] It is no longer considered foolish to argue that biology could exist on some of the trillion other planets in our galaxy. Its discovery would produce a lasting change in our perceptions, demonstrating that life is not confined to our world. We would know that biology is not some sort of miracle, but a commonplace – an ubiquitous, cosmic infection. The discovery of intelligence elsewhere would be of even greater import, as we have always considered humans to be special, even the pinnacle of Creation. To learn that there are others out there – others whose cognitive abilities exceed our own – would be a discovery that would recalibrate how our species views itself. It would also have consequences that can be only vaguely gauged, in much the way that the discovery of the New World led to societal changes that were largely unpredictable at the time of its happening. However, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, known by the acronym SETI, has been pursued for more than a half century with no unambiguous, positive result. We haven’t found conclusive proof of any intelligent (or even unintelligent) life beyond the confines of Earth. Claims that our planet is being visited by alien beings, while popular with the citizenry, are not considered credible by most scientists. However, recent developments in both astronomy and technology are accelerating the speed of SETI searches, and it is hardly fantastic to suggest that we could find evidence of cosmic company within a few decades. -
Vol 25 No 3, Summer 2019
SearchLites Vol. 25 No. 3, Summer 2019 The Quarterly Newsletter of The SETI League, Inc. Offices: 433 Liberty Street In Memoriam: Little Ferry NJ Dr. Owen K. Garriott, W5LFL 07643 USA 22 November 1930 – 15 April 2019 Phone: (201) 641-1770 Facsimile: (201) 641-1771 Email: [email protected] Web: www.setileague.org President Richard Factor Registered Agent: Anthony Agnello Secretary/Treasurer: A. Heather Wood Executive Director Emeritus: H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D. Trustee: Martin Schreiber, CPA Advisory Board: Anthony Agnello KT6W photo Greg Bear Paul Davies, Ph.D. The SETI League is saddened to report the death in April of Owen Garriott, Robert S. Dixon, Ph.D. Frank D. Drake, Ph.D. W5LFL, at age 88. Owen was an electrical engineering professor at Stanford, a Claudio Maccone, Ph.D. Skylab and Space Shuttle astronaut, and a lifelong radio amateur. In December Clifford Stoll, Ph.D. 1983, he became the first ham to operate in space. In this early 1984 picture, Owen is exchanging QSL cards with H. Paul Shuch (now SETI League Executive Direc- SearchLites, ISSN 1096-5599, tor Emeritus), following Owen's historic STS-9 mission. is the Quarterly Newsletter of The SETI League, Inc., a membership-supported, non- Garriott became a licensed radio amateur at the age of 15. It was ham radio profit [501(c)(3)], educational that prompted him to become an electrical engineer, and ultimately one of NASA’s and scientific corporation, dedi- first scientist-astronauts in 1965. He joined the space program after having served cated to the electromagnetic Search for Extra-Terrestrial as an electronics officer in the US navy, and as a professor of electrical engineer- Intelligence. -
Edited by Steven J. Dick and Mark L. Lupisella
Edited by Steven J. Dick and Mark L. Lupisella NASA SP-2009-4802 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cosmos and Culture : Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context / Steven J. Dick and Mark Lupisella, editors. p. cm. -- (NASA SP ; 4802) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Cosmology--History. 2. Astronomy--History. 3. Culture--Origin. 4. Social evolution. 5. Human evolution. I. Dick, Steven J. II. Lupisella, Mark. QB981.C8263 2009 523.109--dc22 2009004348 ISBN 978-0-16-083119-5 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 9 0 0 0 0 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-0001 ISBN 978-0-16-083119-5 9 780160 831195 ISBN 978-0-16-083119-5 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 9 0 0 0 0 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-0001 ISBN 978-0-16-083119-5 9 780160 831195 Table of Contents Introduction – Steven J. Dick and Mark L. Lupisella v Part 1: The Cosmic Context Chapter 1 – Eric J. Chaisson Cosmic Evolution State of the Science 3 Chapter 2 – Steven J. Dick Cosmic Evolution History, Culture, and Human Destiny 25 Part 2: Cultural Evolution Chapter 3 – Kathryn Denning Social Evolution State of the Field 63 Chapter 4 – Daniel C. Dennett The Evolution of Culture 125 Chapter 5 – Howard Bloom The Big Burp and the Multiplanetary Mandate 145 Chapter 6 – John M. -
Cosmic Perspective
HE T COSMIC PERSPECTIVE A01_BENN9068_08_NASTA_FM.indd 1 02/03/17 9:34 AM Astronauts get a unique opportunity to experience a cosmic perspective. Here, astronaut John Grunsfeld has a CD of The Cosmic Perspective floating in front of him while orbiting Earth during the Space Shuttle’s final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (May 2009). A01_BENN9068_08_NASTA_FM.indd 2 02/03/17 9:34 AM HE T COSMIC PERSPECTIVE EIGHTH EDITION JEFFREY BENNETT University of Colorado at Boulder MEGAN DONAHUE Michigan State University NICHOLAS SCHNEIDER University of Colorado at Boulder MARK VOIT Michigan State University Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Hoboken Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montréal Toronto Delhi Mexico City São Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo A01_BENN9068_08_NASTA_FM.indd 3 02/03/17 9:34 AM Editor-in-Chief: Jeanne Zalesky Compositor: Cenveo Publisher Services Executive Editor: Nancy Whilton Design Manager: Mark Ong Director of Marketing: Christy Lesko Interior and Cover Designer: Preston Thomas Marketing Manager: Elizabeth Ellsworth Illustrations: Rolin Graphics Program Manager: Mary Ripley Photo Research: Amy Dunleavy Project Manager: Chandrika Madhavan Photo Research Management: Maya Gomez Program and Project Management Team Lead: Media Producer: Jenny Moryan Kristen Flathman Manufacturing Buyer: Maura Zaldivar-Garcia Copyeditor: Lifland et al., Bookmakers Printer and Binder: Courier Kendallville Production Service: Lifland et al., Bookmakers Cover Printer: Phoenix Color Cover Images: Main Edition: ALMA—Adhemar Duro/Getty Images; Stars—ESO The Solar System: Mars—Detlev van Ravenswaay/Getty Images; Maven Satellite—Walter K. Feimer, Conceptual Image Lab, NASA Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology: Milky Way and Rocks—Craig Goodwin/Getty Images Copyright © 2018, 2014, 2010, 2008, 2006. -
Nasa and the Search for Technosignatures
NASA AND THE SEARCH FOR TECHNOSIGNATURES A Report from the NASA Technosignatures Workshop NOVEMBER 28, 2018 NASA TECHNOSIGNATURES WORKSHOP REPORT CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 What are Technosignatures? .................................................................................................................................... 2 What Are Good Technosignatures to Look For? ....................................................................................................... 2 Maturity of the Field ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Breadth of the Field ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Limitations of This Document .................................................................................................................................... 6 Authors of This Document ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2 EXISTING UPPER LIMITS ON TECHNOSIGNATURES ....................................................................................................... 9 Limits and the Limitations of Limits ........................................................................................................................... -
What Happens When We Detect Alien Life?
SETI research e’ve never heard a peep from aliens. But improved technology is speeding up the search for extra- terrestrial intelligence (SETI), so what happens if today’s silence suddenly gives way to tomorrow’s discovery? Would the world Wrejoice in the news that someone’s out there? Would euphoria engulf humanity, as Nobel Prizes are doled out like after-dinner mints? That’s one view. But many people think the dis- covery would be hushed up as quickly as a Mafia informant, assuming that the public couldn’t handle the news. Or scarier still, kept secret for fear that an unauthorized response would tell a hostile race exactly where to send their interstellar battlewagons. That’s melodramatic enough. But has any serious consideration gone into what happens when our efforts to detect cos- mic intelligence pay off and we find a blip of a signal in the sea of radio noise WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DETECT that pours into the SETI antennas? Some think that addressing that question — even in a speculative way — is hubristic at best and wildly pre- sumptuous at worst. After all, SETI scientists have been torquing their telescopes toward celestial targets for ALINF E LI E? more than half a century without ever detecting such a signal. If we Scientists have been listening for signals from extraterrestrial haven’t won the E.T. lottery in all that time, why worry about what would civilizations for decades, but what would they do happen if we got the winning ticket? if they actually heard one? Simple: SETI researchers are buy- ing more tickets all the time, and the by Seth Shostak chances of scoring the big one keep going up. -
Curriculum Vitae G. Seth Shostak ______Tel
Curriculum Vitae G. Seth Shostak _______________________________________________________________________ tel. office: (650)-960-4530 e-mail: [email protected] Education Ph.D. astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California B.A. physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey Experience Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute, Mtn. View, Calif. 2001-present Public Programs Scientist, SETI Institute, Mtn. View, Calif. 1991-2001 Cable TV Channel 27, Mtn. View, Calif. 1990-1991 Senior Software Engineer, Mira Technology, Los Altos, Calif. 1988-1989 Director and Founder, Digital Images Computer Animation, Groningen, The Netherlands 1983-1988 Research Associate, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, State University of Groningen, The Netherlands 1975-1983 Senior Systems Analyst, Penn Central Transportation Co., Philadelphia, Penn. 1974-1975 Research Associate, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia 1972-1974 Publications Astronomical: More than 60 research papers in refereed, professional journals Film: More than 50 articles for magazines and newspapers on film and video. Author of monthly column on film techniques in European magazines from 1980-1982, and 1985-1990. Science and Technology: Approximately three hundred popular articles published in magazines, newspapers and the Web, on a wide range of topics. Scripts: Several commissioned scripts for public relations videos produced for commercial clients. Two scripts for planetarium shows. Books: Editor of two scientific books, contributor to five popular -
Venus: the Nearby Exoplanetary Laboratory
Venus: The Nearby Exoplanetary Laboratory Stephen R. Kane (UC Riverside), Phone: 951-827-6593, Email: [email protected] Co-authors: Giada Arney (NASA GSFC), David Crisp (JPL), Shawn Domagal-Goldman (NASA GSFC), Lori S. Glaze (NASA GSFC), Colin Goldblatt (University of Victoria), David Grinspoon (Planetary Science Institute), James W. Head (Brown University), Adrian Lenardic (Rice University), Cayman Unterborn (Arizona State University), Michael J. Way (NASA GISS) Co-signers: Vladimir Airapetian (NASA/GSFC & American University), Ariel Anbar (Arizona State University), David Brain (University of Colorado), Shannon Curry (UC Berkeley), William Danchi (NASA/GSFC), Anthony Del Genio (NASA/GISS), Steven Desch (Arizona State University), Chuanfei Dong (Princeton University), Theresa Fisher (Arizona State University), Jonathan Fortney (UC Santa Cruz), Peter Gao (UC Berkeley), Dawn M. Gelino (NExScI), Gabriella Gilli (IA - FCUL), Guillaume Gronoff (SSAI/NASA LaRC), Scott Guzewich (NASA/GSFC), Hilairy E. Hartnett (Arizona State University), Nicholas G. Heavens (Hampton University), Wade G. Henning (NASA GSFC/University of Maryland), Noam R. Izenberg (Johns Hopkins University APL), Daniel Jontof-Hutter (University of the Pacific), Ravi Kopparapu (NASA/GSFC), Carey Lisse (Johns Hopkins University APL), R.O. Parke Loyd (Arizona State University), Wladimir Lyra (CSU Northridge), Avi M. Mandell (NASA/GSFC), Mark Marley (NASA/Ames), Pedro Machado (IA - FCUL), Kathleen Mandt (Johns Hopkins University APL), William B. Moore (Hampton University), Joseph G. O’Rourke (Arizona State University), Joe P. Renaud (George Mason University), Tyler D. Robinson (Northern Arizona University), Andrew J. Rushby (NASA/Ames), Laura Schaefer (Arizona State University), Caleb Scharf (Columbia University), Edward W. Schwieterman (UC Riverside), Everett L. Shock (Arizona State University), Harrison B.