NASA has awarded a grant to researchers at the University of Rochester that will fund a study on technosignatures, which are detectable signs of past or present technology used on other planets. This also marks the first NASA non-radio technosignature grant ever awarded and represents an exciting new direction for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Read more for a video on technosignatures and additional information.
Advanced civilizations, by nature, will need to find a way to produce energy, and to our knowledge, there are only so many forms of energy in the universe. Even though intelligent life may take many forms, it will always be based in the same physical and chemical principles that underlie the universe. This enables researchers to use what they’ve learned in Earth-bound labs to guide their thinking about what may have happened elsewhere in the known universe.
- Features 3 LEGO builds illustrating the areas of expertise of the 4 featured women of NASA
- Includes 4 minifigures: Nancy Grace Roman, Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride and Mae Jemison
- Nancy Grace Roman’s build features a posable Hubble Space Telescope with authentic details and a projected image of a planetary nebula
SETI has always faced the challenge of figuring out where to look. Which stars do you point your telescope at and look for signals? Now we know where to look. We have thousands of exoplanets including planets in the habitable zone where life can form. The game has changed,” said Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester.
