UK to join the hunt for alien signals

Image credit: NRAO/AUI

British astronomers from 11 institutions have set up a new network to help search for signs of ET. Sir Martin Rees will be acting as patron of the group which is looking for around £1M a year in funding to support listening time on radio telescopes. With enough resources the group hopes to be able to make a significant contribution towards the search for extraterrestrial signals and to the development of new techniques for finding evidence of alien life. "If we had one part in 200 - half a percent of the money that goes into astronomy at the moment -
we could make an amazing difference. We would become comparable with the American effort," said co-ordinator Alan Penny. "I don't know whether [aliens] are out there, but I'm desperate to find out." British scientists are to make a concerted effort to look for alien life among the stars. Academics from 11 institutions have set up a network to co-ordinate their Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (Seti).

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