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OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?

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First post	2018-04-30 08:36 -0700
Last post	2018-05-01 03:40 +0000
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  OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> - 2018-04-30 08:36 -0700
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> - 2018-04-30 08:38 -0700
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? casagiannoni@optonline.net - 2018-04-30 16:35 -0400
      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-04-30 21:09 +0000
      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 03:41 +0000
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-04-30 15:55 -0500
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-04-30 21:08 +0000
      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 03:42 +0000
        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-05-01 05:28 +0000
          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 08:51 -0700
            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-05-01 19:37 +0000
              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 13:16 -0700
                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-05-01 20:34 +0000
                  Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 14:10 -0700
                  Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2018-05-01 15:46 -0700
                    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 16:46 -0700
                      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-05-02 16:23 +0000
                      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-02 21:57 +0000
                        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-02 15:08 -0700
                          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-02 22:42 +0000
                            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-02 15:53 -0700
                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-05-02 17:57 -0500
                                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-05-02 16:15 -0700
                                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-02 16:16 -0700
                                  Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Lawrence Watt-Evans <misenchantedpress@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 02:01 -0400
                                    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-05-03 05:36 -0500
                                      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2018-05-03 05:05 -0700
                                    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 08:13 -0700
                                      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-05-03 09:28 -0700
                                        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 09:42 -0700
                                          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-05-03 21:13 -0500
                                            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2018-05-03 20:52 -0700
                                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 05:17 +0000
                                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-05-04 22:08 -0500
                                            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 05:17 +0000
                                      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-03 22:08 +0000
                                        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 15:55 -0700
                                          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-03 23:24 +0000
                                            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 16:39 -0700
                                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-03 23:56 +0000
                                                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 05:14 +0000
                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> - 2018-05-04 06:42 -0600
                                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 08:17 -0700
                                  Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 08:35 -0700
                                    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-04 11:44 -0700
                        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-05-02 16:14 -0700
                        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-05-03 05:34 -0500
                          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 16:53 -0500
                            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-03 15:54 -0700
                              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt) - 2018-05-03 23:30 +0000
                    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Cryptoengineer <treifamily@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 21:44 -0500
      Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Daniel60 <daniel47@eternal-september.org> - 2018-05-01 20:55 +1000
        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 06:17 -0700
        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> - 2018-05-01 15:04 -0700
          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-05-02 00:06 +0000
            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-05-02 13:40 -0700
              Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-05-02 21:50 +0000
                Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-02 15:52 -0700
        Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Daniel60 <daniel47@eternal-september.org> - 2018-05-17 16:43 +1000
          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? hamish.laws@gmail.com - 2018-05-17 00:51 -0700
            Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-05-17 01:16 -0700
          Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Daniel60 <daniel47@eternal-september.org> - 2018-05-25 15:07 +1000
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? lal_truckee <lal_truckee@yahoo.com> - 2018-04-30 18:14 -0700
    Re: OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens? Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com> - 2018-05-01 03:40 +0000

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#491343 — OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?

From	a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com>
Date	2018-04-30 08:36 -0700
Subject	OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?
Message-ID	<pc7d5301g00@news1.newsguy.com>

How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | April 30, 2018 07:00am ET

How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?
An invasion of Earth by alien flying saucers is a trope of science 
fiction. But what if aliens really did find us?

If aliens reach out to us, what would happen first?

It's a question that has puzzled science fiction fans and scientists 
alike for decades, and we already may have a hint of how people will 
react. On Oct. 30, 1938, a dramatized version of the 1898 H.G. Wells 
novel "War of the Worlds" played on the CBS Radio system across the 
United States. The story details how Martians attacked Earth.

The radio broadcast caused a reaction when people mistook it for a real 
radio report, but accounts vary as to how much of a reaction. Some 
accounts describe nationwide panic, while others say not very many 
people actually listened to the broadcast. The promise of alien life 
stars in Episode 1 of "AMC Visionaries: James Cameron's Story of Science 
Fiction," which debuts on AMC tonight. Still, Search for 
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) researcher Duncan Forgan told 
Space.com the "War of the Worlds" broadcast may be instructive to think 
about as SETI scientists worldwide update their "first contact" 
protocols. [E.T. Etiquette: How Should Humanity Interact with Alien Life?]

"If you pick the right science fiction — the hard science fiction — it's 
placed in the best possible educated guesses about what will happen," 
said Forgan, who is a research fellow at the University of St Andrews in 
Scotland. He explained that "hard" science fiction refers to science 
fiction that emphasizes accuracy (think the 2015 movie "The Martian," 
for example).

If researchers find a signal today, Forgan said, one of the things they 
will have to manage is a public used to getting constant news updates on 
Twitter and other forms of social media. It's something Forgan and his 
colleagues are already working on. The International Academy of 
Astronautics SETI Permanent Committee created a post-detection protocol 
in 1989 that was slightly updated in 2010; a new update is starting soon 
and should be finished in a few years, Forgan said.

Scientific work
Famed directors James Cameron and Ridley Scott talk aliens in "AMC 
Visionaries: James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction," which premieres 
on AMC on April 30.

For the most part, scientists assume alien contact would happen through 
a signal purposely sent toward Earth. The "acid test" is to make sure 
the signal is verified by multiple observatories, said SETI Institute 
senior astronomer Seth Shostak. "It would take a while to verify, and 
then the people who like to think about these matters say you would have 
a press conference and announce this to the world," he said, but he 
added that wouldn't work unless everyone in the project were sworn to 
secrecy. In this era of news leaks, he said that situation is very 
unlikely to hold.

So, scientists try instead to stick to a protocol that includes 
informing the public. The 2010 IAA protocol only runs to two pages and 
covers facets such as searching for a signal, handling evidence and what 
to do in the case of a confirmed detection.

If the evidence gets out to the public while the scientists are still 
analyzing the signal, Forgan said they could manage the public's 
expectations by using something called the Rio Scale. It's essentially a 
numeric value that represents the degree of likelihood that an alien 
contact is "real." (Forgan added that the Rio Scale is also undergoing 
an update, and more should be coming out about it in May.)

If the aliens did arrive here, "first contact" protocols likely would be 
useless, because if they're smart enough to show up physically, they 
could probably do anything else they like, according to Shostak. 
"Personally, I would leave town," Shostak quipped. "I would get a rocket 
and get out of the way. I have no idea what they are here for."

But there's little need to worry. An "Independence Day" scenario of 
aliens blowing up important national buildings such as the White House 
is extremely unlikely, Forgan said, because interstellar travel is 
difficult. (This feeds into something called the Drake Equation, which 
considers where the aliens could be and helps show why we haven't heard 
anything from them yet.) [The Father of SETI: Q&A with Astronomer Frank 
Drake]

Early SETI work
To find a signal, first we have to be listening for it. SETI "listening" 
is going on all over the world, and in fact, this has been happening for 
many decades. The first modern SETI experiment took place in 1960. Under 
Project Ozma, Cornell University astronomer Frank Drake pointed a radio 
telescope (located at Green Bank, West Virginia) at two stars called Tau 
Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. He scanned at a frequency astronomers nickname 
"the water hole," which is close to the frequency of light that's given 
off by hydrogen and hydroxyl (one hydrogen atom bonded to one oxygen). 
[13 Ways to Find Intelligent Aliens]

In 1977, The Ohio State University SETI's program made international 
headlines after a project volunteer, Jerry Ehman, wrote, "Wow!" beside a 
strong signal a telescope there received. The Aug. 15, 1977, "Wow" 
signal was never repeated, however.

There have been many, many projects since then. As a taste: The SETI 
Institute was founded in 1984; while it may be the most famous of the 
SETI projects, there are many other independent SETIs at universities 
and institutions worldwide that have done work over the decades. One of 
the center's major initiatives was Project Phoenix, which scanned 
nearby, sun-like stars. Currently, the SETI Institute, in collaboration 
with other institutes, is working on a concept called the Allen 
Telescope Array, which has dozens of radio dishes in northern California.

In 2015, the well-known physicist Stephen Hawking and many other 
researchers launched Breakthrough Listen, a project that will scan 1 
million Milky Way stars and 100 nearby galaxies for extraterrestrial life.

Space-based SETI

While searches of alien messages aren't ongoing in space, there have 
been efforts at communicating with any beings that may come across our 
spacecraft.

The Pioneer 10 and 11 probes flew by Jupiter (and in Pioneer 11's case, 
Saturn) to eventually make their way out of the solar system. Before 
their launches in 1972 and 1973, respectively, a Pioneer plaque was 
mounted on board each spacecraft. It shows the form of the human body 
and where the Earth is located in the galaxy.

The twin Voyager probes launched in 1977 to examine the outer solar 
system. Voyager 2 reached interstellar space in 2012, while Voyager 1 is 
still at the edge of the solar system. Each of the spacecraft includes 
two golden records with sounds recorded on Earth, ranging from whale 
calls to music to the word "hello" in many languages. The record also 
has diagrams of the human body and where our solar system is located.

Scientists also transmitted a radio message from the Arecibo Observatory 
in Puerto Rico in 1974. The so-called Arecibo Message includes such 
things as the numbers 1 through 10; the atomic numbers of elements such 
as hydrogen and oxygen; information about DNA; and diagrams of a human 
body, the Earth and our solar system.

In a related field, the study of exoplanets has accelerated in recent 
years with the Kepler mission, which has found more than 2,000 confirmed 
exoplanets alone, as well as other observatories on the ground and in 
space. Scientists are now trying to characterize which of these planets 
may be the most habitable. Atmospheric studies and more detailed looks 
at star activity will be some of the activities scientists undertake 
with future telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, which 
will launch in 2020.

This story was inspired by Episode 1 of "AMC Visionaries: James 
Cameron's Story of Science Fiction," which airs tonight at 10 p.m. 
EDT/PDT (9 p.m. CDT). A companion book is available on Amazon.com.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on 
Space.com.

https://www.space.com/40435-finding-aliens-humanity-reaction.html

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#491344

From	a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com>
Date	2018-04-30 08:38 -0700
Message-ID	<pc7dah11g00@news1.newsguy.com>
In reply to	#491343

On 4/30/2018 8:36 AM, a425couple wrote:
> How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?
> By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | April 30, 2018 07:00am ET
> How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?
> An invasion of Earth by alien flying saucers is a trope of science
> fiction. But what if aliens really did find us?

Here is a related 2014 story:

We'll Find Alien Life in This Lifetime, Scientists Tell Congress
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor |
May 24, 2014 07:45am ET

We'll Find Alien Life in This Lifetime, Scientists Tell Congress
SETI uses the Arecibo's 305-meter telescope — the largest in the world —
to scan the sky for signals from alien civilizations all year round.
Credit: Arecibo Observatory/NSF
Humans have long wondered whether we are alone in the universe.
According to scientists working with the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence (SETI) Institute, the question may be answered in the near
future.

"It's unproven whether there is any life beyond Earth," Seth Shostak,
senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, said at a House Committee on
Science, Space and Technology hearing Wednesday (May 21). "I think that
situation is going to change within everyone's lifetime in this room."

Scientists search for life beyond Earth using three different methods,
Shostak said. [13 Ways to Find E.T.]

The first method involves the search for microbial extraterrestrials or
their remains. Investigations include robotic missions to Mars, such as
Curiosity and Opportunity, which are currently searching for signs that
the Red Planet could once have hosted potentially habitable environments.

Local habitable worlds?

But Mars isn't the only target in the solar system. In fact, Shostak
said there are "at least half a dozen other worlds" in Earth's
neighborhood that have the potential to be habitable. Icy moons such as
Jupiter's Europa and Ganymede hide subsurface oceans, while Saturn's
largest moon, Titan, contains lakes of liquid methane, all of which
could make the moons appealing homes for life.

A second technique involves examining the atmospheres of planets in
orbit around other stars for traces of oxygen or methane or other gases
that could be produced by biological processes. As an observed planet
passes between Earth and its sun, a thick enough atmosphere has the
potential to be detected. [10 Exoplanets That Could Host Life]

Shostak said both of these methods could yield results in the next two
decades.

The third plan involves searching not just for life, but also for
intelligent life — a project that SETI pioneers. By scouring the
universe for signals in a variety of spectrums, SETI hopes to find
intentional or accidental broadcasts from extraterrestrial civilizations.

Determining the success rate of such a program is difficult, but Shostak
said that the best estimates suggest that a reasonable chance of success
would come after examining a few million star systems. So far, SETI has
examined less than 1 percent of those star systems. However, Shostak
expects that number to increase as technology advances.

"Given predicted advances in technology, looking at a few million star
systems can be done in the next 20 years," he said.

"Teeming with … life"

NASA's Kepler telescope has revealed that planets are abundant in the
galaxy. Each of the 4 billion stars in our galaxy has an average of 1.6
planets in orbit around it, with one out of five of those planets are
likely to be "Earth cousins." That means there are tens of billions of
potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way alone.

"If this is the only planet on which not only life, but intelligent
life, has arisen, that would be very unusual," Shostak said. [Poll: Do
You Believe Alien Life Exists?]

On Earth, life arose in the first billion years of the planet's
4.5-billion-year history. Its rapid origination suggests that it could
arise quickly elsewhere as well, which could result in a profusion of
life on planets across the galaxy.

"I suspect that the universe is teeming with microbial life," Dan
Werthimer, director of the SETI Research Center at the University of
California, Berkeley, told the committee.

How much of that life might be intelligent is another question altogether.

On one hand, although life arose early in Earth's existence, complex —
and then intelligent — life took much longer to develop.

"This place has been carpeted with life, and almost all that time, it
required a microscope to see it," Shostak said.

However, Werthimer noted that intelligent life evolved in several
species on Earth. He suggested that some planets evolve selective
pressures that guide evolution toward different characteristics. On one
planet, it may be most beneficial for life to be fast, while on others,
it might need to be strong to survive.

"I think there are going to be some planets in the universe where it's
advantageous to be smart," Werthimer said.

By surrounding their star with swarms of energy-collecting satellites,
advanced civilizations could create Dyson spheres. [<a
href="http://www.space.com/24276-dyson-spheres-how-advanced-alien-civilizations-would-conquer-the-galaxy-infographic.html">Read
the Full Dyson Sphere Infographic Here</a>.]
By surrounding their star with swarms of energy-collecting satellites,
advanced civilizations could create Dyson spheres. [Read the Full Dyson
Sphere Infographic Here.]
Credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist
Hunting for intelligence
Werthimer outlined several of the programs SETI utilizes in its search
for intelligent life. The most well known of these is its use of the
largest telescope in the world, the 1,000-foot (305 meters) Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico. Although most astronomers would feel lucky
to obtain a day of observations with the instrument, scientists at SETI
have figured out how to "piggyback" their research onto other
observations, allowing for virtually continuous observation of the universe.

It requires a significant amount of computing power to churn through the
resulting data in search of signals. In 1999, SETI@home was released to
allow members of the public to put their computer to work when it might
otherwise be idle. Today, 8.4 million users in 226 countries have the
program running as a screensaver.

"Together, the volunteers have created the most powerful supercomputer
on the planet," Werthimer said.

When asked about potential safety issues with downloading the program,
Werthimer said, "In my opinion, SETI@home is one of the safest things
you can install on the computer." He pointed to the millions of users
who have put it through its paces over the last 15 years. On top of
that, the program is open source, which means that anyone can examine it
for viruses or potential problems in the code.

In the next few months, SETI will launch its Panchromatic SETI program,
using six telescopes to scour the skies for signals in a variety of
wavelengths, including radio, optical and infrared.

"This will be an extremely comprehensive search," Werthimer said.

Another program seeks to eavesdrop on potential communications between
two bodies in an alien solar system. Just as NASA sends signals to the
Curiosity rover on Mars, or would need to communicate with a future
outpost on another body in the solar system, alien civilizations may be
in the process of exploring or colonizing their own neighborhood. By
using information from Kepler, SETI scientists can observe when two
planets line up in another system and attempt to eavesdrop on potential
signals.

By relying on a multitude of technologies in the search for advanced
alien civilizations, SETI hopes to increase its odds of finding
intelligent life beyond the solar system. Programs continue to evolve
alongside technology, as SETI attempts to put a new one in play each year.

"I think the best strategy is a multiple-[pronged] strategy," Werthimer
said. "We should be looking for all kinds of different signals and not
put all of our eggs in one basket."

Shostak agreed, and noted that dated technology, such as radio signals,
may not necessarily be obsolete.

"One shouldn't discount a technology just because it's been around
awhile," he said. "We use the wheel every day."

If scientists were to discover a signal that might potentially stem from
an alien civilization, the news would spread fairly rapidly. SETI might
ask observers at another observatory to verify the data before
officially announcing it, but such news would never stay under wraps for
long.

"The public has the idea that the government has a secret plan for what
we would do if we picked up a signal," Shostak said.

But he said he's received no calls or clandestine visits for the false
alarms SETI has already observed.

In fact, Shostak said the news will spread before it can be fully verified.

"There will be false alarms," he said.

Kepler-186f, the first Earth-size planet orbiting in the habitable zone
of its star, is just one of the many potentially habitable planets in
the Milky Way galaxy.
Kepler-186f, the first Earth-size planet orbiting in the habitable zone
of its star, is just one of the many potentially habitable planets in
the Milky Way galaxy.
Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech
Funding the search

For all their optimism about the potential to find new life, both
Shostak and Werthimer were realistic about the limits of their research.
Currently, SETI houses only 24 full-time scientists. Of those,
two-thirds are from the United States.

The Berkeley program exists primarily on a budget of roughly $1 million
a year, made up of research grants from NASA, the National Science
Foundation (NSF) and private donors.

The two primary telescopes utilized by SETI are also in jeopardy. Budget
cuts have been made to the Arecibo telescope, while the NSF plans to
discontinue funding for the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia.

At the same time, China is building a radio telescope nearly twice as
large as Arecibo, while the Square Kilometer Array Telescope project is
in progress in South Africa. Both telescopes stand to become significant
SETI observatories, and the United States isn't involved.

"The U.S. may not continue to lead this work," Werthimer said.

"I would find that disappointing," Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., responded.

Both Shostak and Werthimer expressed their optimism that intelligent
life exists somewhere in the galaxy, and that it should be detectable in
the near future, as long as SETI continues to receive the support it
needs. Between the knowledge that might be obtained from an advanced
civilization and the idea of mankind's biological intellectual place in
the universe, humans stand to gain a great deal from learning that we
are not alone.

"Finding other sentient life in the universe would be the most
significant discovery in human history," said Committee Chairman Lamar
Smith, R-Texas.

Put your computer to work by installing SETI@home.

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From	casagiannoni@optonline.net
Date	2018-04-30 16:35 -0400
Message-ID	<kdveedllur19e00smoecr5orq3ete37nqj@4ax.com>
In reply to	#491343

From	djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt)
Date	2018-04-30 21:09 +0000
Message-ID	<p80o3M.1LE@kithrup.com>
In reply to	#491376

From	Ninapenda Jibini <taustinca@gmail.com>
Date	2018-05-01 03:41 +0000
Message-ID	<XnsA8D4D2794BFtaustincagmailcom@69.16.179.42>
In reply to	#491376

From	Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com>
Date	2018-04-30 15:55 -0500
Message-ID	<pc7vr9$7ah$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to	#491343

From	Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com>
Date	2018-05-01 08:51 -0700
Message-ID	<XnsA8D55A180DA69taustingmail@69.16.179.42>
In reply to	#491421

From	Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date	2018-05-01 15:46 -0700
Message-ID	<fa487f78-9dc6-4a00-9d42-369f2818f24a@googlegroups.com>
In reply to	#491454

From	D B Davis <g@crcomp.net>
Date	2018-05-02 16:23 +0000
Message-ID	<20180502a@crcomp.net>
In reply to	#491475

From	mvp@web1.calweb.com (Mike Van Pelt)
Date	2018-05-02 21:57 +0000
Message-ID	<ovqGC.104849$T14.86410@fx44.iad>
In reply to	#491475

OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?

Contents

#491343 — OT - How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?

#491344

#491376

#491381

#491414

#491377

#491380

#491415

#491421

#491433

#491445

#491448

#491454

#491456

#491470

#491475

#491519

#491542

#491545

#491554