Aliens may have identified Earth as a habitable, living world long ago and we could be receiving their broadcasts today, a new study suggests.
As scientists step up their search for other life in the universe, researchers are proposing a way to make sure we do not miss the signal if extraterrestrial observers try to contact us first.
According to researchers from the McMaster University in Canada the best chance for us finding a signal from beyond is to presume that extraterrestrial observers are using the same methods to search for us that we are using to search for life beyond Earth.
On Earth, space researchers are focusing most of their search efforts on planets and moons that are too far away to see directly. Instead, they study them by tracking their shadows as they pass in front of their own host stars.
Measuring the dimming of starlight as a planet crosses the face of its star during orbit, scientists can collect a wealth of information, even without ever seeing those worlds directly.
Using methods that allow them to estimate the average stellar illumination and temperatures on their surfaces, scientists have already identified dozens of locations where life could potentially exist.