Scientists Still Unsure If Strange Radio Signals Captured From Space Are From Aliens

For decades, astronomers have been baffled by strange radio signals reaching Earth, supposedly from space. With a number of theorised origins, from an alien species to dying stars, scientists are now one step closer to pinpointing their cause.

The CSIRO Compact Array telescope first picked up the FRB¡¯s afterglow - CSIRO

Known as Fast Radio Bursts (FRB), these tiny fragments of energy have been picked up intermittently over the past few years, by radio telescopes around the world. According to scientists, these FRBs hold about the same amount of energy as the Sun generates over 10,000 years, and are capable of travelling across vast distances. The problem was, we were never sure of where these signals were coming from, despite intercepting over 20 bursts through the years.

The problem lay in the single-dish radio telescopes that were picking up these signals. Though capable of ¡°listening¡± over a wide area, that also included signals originating from Earth.

Most famously, one team of Australian scientists claimed to have recorded an FRB in 1998, only to realise 17 years later that the signal they intercepted was from a lunch room microwave at the observatory.

However, new research from the Swinburne University of Technology now seems to confirm that these FRBs do originate from space. The Molonglo Telescope in Australia, has a huge collection area of 18,000 square metres, which the team discovered in 2013 had the unintended side effect of isolating and ignoring broadcasts originating from Earth. As such, the team has been combing through the telescope¡¯s data over the last four years (an average of 1,000 TB produced by the telescope each day) and attempting to correlate it to confirmed FRB intercepts.

The Molonglo Telescope - Swinburne University of Technology

The research seems to be sound, even confirming the latest FRB, which the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) pinned down as originating from a galaxy six billion light years away. The news is huge, considering scientists now know for sure that the radio bursts are not an anomaly, and can be certain they¡¯re not signals from Earth that have been misinterpreted. Now, the team behind the discovery is working to pinpoint where exactly these FRBs came from.

Of course, no one can yet be sure just what¡¯s making the signals transmit. Crazy as it may seem, the theory that the signal is being broadcast by an alien race is not entirely impossible, though the amount of energy required to send the signal would be massive. Most researchers instead agree they¡¯re caused by a star in its death throes.

Then again, maybe ET is just trying to phone home?