Scientific community's plan for alien contact needs updating, study saysWayne Harris-Wyrick
The OklahomanSat, September 13, 2025 at 6:02 AM EDT
3 min read
We humans have numerous scientific activities currently involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). These include observations of numerous star systems looking for radio signals, as, for example radar signals like those our airports send into space. The spacecraft we have sent to study the other planets and moons in our solar system have found intriguing hints of microbial life. However, we have yet to find any concrete proof of any other life.
The James Webb Space Telescope can study planets orbiting other stars, searching for potential signs in their atmospheres that might indicate technological presence. Again, we have not yet found any such signs.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula reveals mini “toe beans.” Massive young stars are carving the gas and dust while their bright starlight is producing a bright nebulous glow. Eventually this turbulent region will quench star formation.Most astronomers and other scientists believe it to be just a matter of time before such discoveries are made. What should we do then? Kate Genevieve from the Astro Ecologies Institution led a study that included 13 other researchers from various universities. They believe that previous preparation efforts, including guidelines from 1989, are outdated.
The study authors believe we need a detailed plan. NASA and the global scientific community, they say, should prepare for the moment humanity detects signs of extraterrestrial intelligence in the internet age. The research paper states that "a technosignature detection will trigger a complex global process shaped by uncertainty, misinformation, and multiple ideological stakeholders."
One area of preparation that the study says needs much more research on is how to understand minds that think radically differently from the way humans do. We need to develop "Other Minds" paradigms. Techniques the paper claims we need include studying whale songs and bird navigation to understand communication patterns in non-human entities. Whales, dolphins, and birds represent some of the most intelligent non-primate species on Earth, so that would be a good way to start learning how other intelligences think.
The authors also state that we need research studies on “the psychological, social, and global dynamics of post-detection scenarios.” They suggest analyzing science fiction to learn how different cultures imagine alien contact, giving us insight into how Earthlings as a whole might react, providing understanding of expectations and fears.
The team members strongly emphasize the need for strong international coordination of efforts and programs now. A fractured response by different nations could well lead to severe problems.
The paper doesn’t say that detection of extraterrestrial intelligence will occur soon, but they emphasize that with new technologies like the Webb Space Telescope and the soon to be operational Vera C. Rubin Observatory, such discoveries could come soon. The researchers feel we need to do much more before aliens come calling.
Bright spots in the skyIf you happen to be outside about 6 a.m. Sept. 19, take a look to the east. A very thin crescent moon will sit quite close to Venus, the next brightest object in the night sky. They will be closer together than the width of your little finger held at arm’s length. Their closest approach, less than half the width of your little finger, occurs before the pair rises. Morning twilight may just begin to creep over the eastern horizon, but these two are so bright that they should be easily seen if there are no clouds.
At 12:20 p.m. Sept. 22, the sun will sit directly over the equator, marking the Autumnal Equinox. Day and night will be of equal length, and for the next three months, days grow shorter and nights get longer.
Mercury is lost in the twilight glare all of September. Venus slowly creeps towards the sun in the pre-dawn sky during the month, while Mars does the same during the sunset twilight. The moon is new on Sept. 21.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman:
Previous preparation for alien contact is outdated, study says
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