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Aliens might be trying to contact us from within the Milky Way, study claims

Published Jun 6th, 2023 5:40PM EDT
Radio telescopes and the Milky Way at night
Image: zhengzaishanchu / Adobe

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A new study seems to think alien signals could be emitting from the heart of the Milky Way, attempting to make contact with humankind. The study focuses on the use of data from a groundbreaking mission known as the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS), which looks for repeating patterns that could be key to unlocking connections with extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy.

BLIPSS is a collaborative effort between the SETI Institute, Breakthrough Listen, and Cornell University. The researchers used BLIPSS to focus on the central region of the Milky Way, where a dense grouping of stars and even possibly habitable exoplanets are located. The team says that BLIPSS will amplify the odds that we can capture evidence of alien signals coming through space.

chandra pulsar
Repeating pulsars could be aliens trying to make contact, a new study says. Image source: NASA/CXC/Univ of Toronto/M.Durant et al; Optical: DSS/Davide De Martin

By focusing their attention on these possibly habitable areas, the researchers hoped to catch a glimpse of something, and it appears they may have. According to the researchers, BLIPSS will make it possible ot search more intensively for these repeating signals, which could be alien signals as they try to reach out to other lifeforms in the universe.

Of course, scientists have always discussed the possibility of alien life existing somewhere out there, so it isn’t entirely unplausible for some kind of communication attempts to exist. However, it’s unclear if this system will turn anything over. For now, though, it at least offers a promising new way to search for alien life within our own galactic backyard.

The new study was conducted by a team led by Akshay Suresh, a graduate student at Cornell University. The study is published in the Astronomical Journal. It will be intriguing to see if it turns up any evidence of alien signals in space, especially following recent whistleblowers claiming the US government already has evidence of alien vehicles.

Josh Hawkins has been writing for over a decade, covering science, gaming, and tech culture. He also is a top-rated product reviewer with experience in extensively researched product comparisons, headphones, and gaming devices.

Whenever he isn’t busy writing about tech or gadgets, he can usually be found enjoying a new world in a video game, or tinkering with something on his computer.