The SETI institute in the media 20 to 26 September 2018

Scientists from the SETI Institute present at the NASA Technosignatures Workshop

In the decades since the Congress ended funding for NASA's extraterrestrial intelligence research, the SETI Institute has undertaken important work in trying to answer the question: Are we alone? Now, with the discovery of an abundance of planets in our galaxy thanks to Kepler's missions and now TESS, study of the strange behavior of what's called Tabby's Star and technological advances in strategies detection such as the use of AI to detect rapid radio bursts, there is renewed interest in efforts to detect signs of extraterrestrial technology.

While keeping this in mind, NASA has announced its interest in exploring ways to research technosignatures (signals or other features of the technology) to determine whether advanced technology exists elsewhere in the world. # 39; universe. To this end, a workshop is being held at the Lunar and Global Institute of Houston, attended by several experts from the SETI Institute. Some remarkable speakers: Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI Institute and President Emeritus of SETI Research; Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute; Andrew Siemion, Bernard M. Oliver Chair in SETI Research at the SETI Institute and Director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center; and Eliot Gillum, director of SETI Optics at the SETI Institute.

This evaluation of current research efforts in technosignatures – work that the SETI Institute is particularly known for marking a noticeable change – is an encouraging sign for those who have sought stronger support for research on the nature of life in the world. 'universe.

Needle in a cosmic haystack: are we alone?

Why have we not found the least conclusive proof of a progress of cosmic society beyond our own? According to Jill Tarter, president emeritus of SETI Research and co-founder of the SETI Institute, it's simple: we barely watched. CNet reported on Tarter's discussion at NASA's recent Technosignature Workshop, which included presentations by several scientists from the SETI Institute:

"The cosmic hay pile in which these signals could be found is really huge," said Jill Tarter, pioneer of SETI, during a presentation at NASA's first official workshop on "technosignatures" in Houston on Wednesday. … Tarter compares the research looking for a fish all the oceans of the Earth by examining a single glass of clean seawater, where the oceans represent the entire universe and the seawater glass is the part of the universe in which we checked the extraterrestrial signals up to now.

According to a recently published article by Jason Wright, Penn State's Jason Wright, we've somewhat improved this report … we've gone from a glass of water to a level comparable to that of a large one. hot tub or a small pool. the water of all the oceans of the Earth. This may not sound like much, but new technologies have nonetheless offered unprecedented opportunities to explore our universe.

The search for an extraterrestrial intelligence continues

Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI Institute and President Emeritus of SETI Research, spoke at Wyoming Stargazing's "The World Over Nipples" lecture series at Jackson Hole. A pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Tarter brings to his presentations a remarkable perspective and experience. Jackson Hole News & Guide noted before the event:

"I'm going to show beautiful pictures of the cosmos," Tarter said. [of] his presentation, "and try to explain how closely we are all connected to this vast universe and vast time scale. … I try to challenge people's perspective, to give them a cosmic perspective. I think it's an important thing. We have so many challenges on this planet that if we do not adopt a broader vision – see ourselves as part of a system, that we are all the same – we will not not solve them. "

Tarter spoke of the great technological advances that have allowed scientists to make important progress in their research:

"Right now, we have 14 or 15 out of 10 more power than the research done by Frank Drake," Tarter said about the technology and computing capabilities of the 21st century. "And it's only going to get better. We can do today what we could not imagine doing yesterday and tomorrow we will do what we can not conceive today. "

Despite the immense immensity of our universe, Tarter has maintained a constant urgency in its advocacy for the SETI Institute and its important mission:

Tarter said that the most important thing we do, we humans, is to explore – "to find new answers and solutions to old problems and to think about new questions to ask and understand our place in the universe. "The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, then, is not a lark, a plot for science fiction. It is the logical and inevitable destination of all our scientific investigations. And, what's even more exciting, it's the starting point for the next leg of our journey.

Seth Shostak and Jill Tarter abroad

Seth Shostak, principal astronomer at the SETI Institute, appeared in an episode of Outside the world, the emission produced by Adam Savage Tested hosted by Ariel Waldman and Norm Chan. Shostak, after a long career as a "hunter of strangers" and his consulting experience on many science fiction films, has a unique perspective on the subject chosen by the show: the trope of first contact. Look for what Shostak believes. It might look like extraterrestrials might want humanity if they visited us, and what could be the future of humanity if we made contact with an extraterrestrial society.

Outside World The very first episode, now available as an audio podcast, featured astronomer Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI Institute. Dr. Tarter is now Emeritus Chair of SETI Research and has earned his pop-culture fame as inspiration for the main character, Dr. Ellie Arroway, in the 1997 film, Contact. Watch or listen to the true story that inspired the character and discover how the film has inspired many people who have decided to embark on science.

Frontier Development Lab Moon's "GPS" could eventually run on Mars

Frontier Development Lab (FDL), a research accelerator in artificial intelligence powered by NASA and the SETI Institute, has come up with a kind of "GPS in Space" that allows navigation in the area. absence of satellites. Using in-depth learning, participants were able to teach an algorithm the recognition of surface features in images taken (virtually) from the ground and match them to locations on a simulated orbital map. While the original plan used a model of the lunar surface, the technology has clear potential for Mars-based and unmanned missions. Although the application of the algorithm to the planetary body would be an important step, the availability of surface images from previous NASA missions to Mars is a promising asset.

Big Picture Science

In last week's episode, BiPiSci reviews critical thinking monthly to determine if medical science can compete with alternative medicine and self-diagnosis via apps and AI, in Skeptic Check: Heal thyself. In this week's episode, find out what your DNA is hiding in Nature's DNA: Hard Drive.

Facebook Live

In our previous episode of Facebook Live, scientists Frankk Marchis and Doug Caldwell, at the SETI Institute, presented the tremendous work done by the Kepler Space Telescope as the exoplanet detection device comes to an end. Videos of all previous Facebook Live events are available on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SETIInstitute/

Events

• YouTube: What would the "first contact" look like? – Offworld Episode 10
• Adam Savage's Tested: Offworld, Episode 1: Contact (1997) with Dr. Jill Tarter
  • Maria Mitchell Symposium on Women in Science: October 5 and 6, Wellesley, MA Jill Tarter will be a keynote speaker
  • First Fridays at Chabot Space & Science Center: Oct. 5, Oakland, CA JR Skok, SETI Institute, will talk about AstroReality and Made of Mars.
  • Wired 25th Anniversary Festival: October 12-15 in San Francisco, CA Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI Institute, will attend the festival and present "The 21st Century: The Century of Biology on Earth and Beyond" "
  • Fermilab Lecture and Workshop Series: October 12, Batavia, IL Jill Tarter, SETI Pioneer and Honorary Chair of SETI Research at SETI Institute, will present
  • Science with HabEx: Space Astronomy from Ultraviolet to Infrared in the 2030s: October 15 to 16, in New York, NY: Franck Marchis, Principal Investigator at the # 39; SETI Institute, will be the guest
  • SETI: October 16, Menlo Park, California. From Cowboys to communities: changing the face of space exploration. Margaret Race of the SETI Institute will be accompanied by Jan Millsapps, Professor Emeritus of Film at the University of San Francisco and Brian Patrick Green, Director of Technology. Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics of the University of Santa Clara
  • SpaceTalks: October 20 Jasper, Alberta Canada Seth Shostak to participate in roundtable
  • Planetary Science Division Meeting: October 21-26, Knoxville, TN Scientists at the SETI Institute should participate
  • NASA Kepler and K2 Missions: Bremerton, WA, Oct. 24, Jeff Coughlin, a scientist with the SETI Institute and Director of the K2 Science Office, will give a public lecture at the Olympic College in Bremerton, WA.
  • The Undiscovered: October 26, Cambridge, MA Jill Tarter, President Emeritus of SETI Research at SETI Institute, will be one of the keynote speakers
  • Towards a fully radio-based SETI telescope: October 29th and 31st in Manchester (United Kingdom) Jill Tarter, President Emeritus of SETI Research at the SETI Institute is a member of the Scientific Organization Committee
  • Scientific Workshop of the Observatory of Solar Dynamics 2018: Catalyzing Solar Connections: October 29th to November 2nd, Ghent, Belgium The SETI Institute's scientific researcher, Meng Jin, is a member of the research committee. organization of sciences.