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Astronomy and space

Astronomy and space

Scanning the cosmos for signs of alien technology

20 Oct 2021
Taken from the October 2021 issue of Physics World.

Ever since planets beyond our solar system were first discovered, astronomers have been hunting life beyond our world. While biological signatures are crucial, the idea of scouring the skies for signs of technosignatures from advanced civilizations is gaining momentum, as David Appell discovers

Illustration of exoplanet and probes collecting data
Probing pollution One indication of advanced alien life could be industrial pollution. Therefore, the presence of gases such as nitrogen dioxide might serve as a technosignature that we could detect on exoplanets. (Courtesy: NASA/Jay Freidlander)
In 1802 the young German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss suggested a way to make our presence kno

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David Appell is a freelance science writer living in Oregon, US, davidappell.com
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