Intelligent Life On Radio?

‘ALIENS listening into the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1 may have concluded that there is no intelligent life on Earth.

‘Are you sure you’re not Dave Lee Travis?’

But scientists on this planet believe they may have listened in to a radio broadcast of an intelligent alien civilisation.

According to the Times, the enigmatic signal has been picked up three times since last year by the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico.

“It does not carry the signature of any known astronomical phenomenon,” the paper says, “and does not appear to be the result of natural interference or noise, according to researchers who have studied its frequency pattern.

“This means that it could have been transmitted deliberately by an extra-terrestrial species on a distant planet, though experts cautioned this remains unlikely.”

The signal – known by the snappy title, SHGbO2+14a – has now been listened to on three occasions adding up to about a minute.

This is apparently not enough to establish its source, although scientists say it definitely did not come from a terrestrial radio station.

It actually played some music during that time…’

Posted: 2nd, September 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink