Radio waves from outer space could be a sign of alien life, scientists suggest
Radio wave signals from outer space have baffled scientists in Australia, leading them to suggest they might come from alien life in a distant galaxy.
By studying a series of fast radio wave bursts (FRBs) using data from the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Emily Petroff and her team at the Swinbourne University in Melbourne discovered five FRBs whose origins could not be identified.
In particular, there was one “double burst” among the five – something that has be never been detected before. But that didn't make the four other “singles” any clearer, either. The first FRBs were detected in 2007, but only a handful of others have been detected since then, which means they have been poorly studied.
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Just a few milliseconds in length, FRBs are quick-fire bursts of radio energy coming from so far away their original, unknown sources are thought to be packed with energy.
Possible sources include colliding neutron stars and alien signals. “We have no idea what's going on, but we know it's definitely something cool,” Petroff tweeted.
Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, said: "Every unusual signal from outer space encourages us to wonder if it is from an alien civilisation.
It would be fantastic if this is an alien signal as the knowledge that we are not alone in this vast universe would have a dramatic impact on our perception of our place in the scheme of things.