SETI@Home Adds New Search Method

Adam Korbitz writes to point out that SETI@Home has added a new algorithm for use in evaluating signals from outer space. It's called "Astropulse," and they've made the scientific details available. Quoting: "The original SETI@home is narrowband, meaning that it is listening for a particular radio frequency. That's like listening to an orchestra playing, and trying to hear when anyone plays the note "A sharp." Astropulse listens for short-time pulses. In the orchestra analogy, it's like listening for a quick drum beat, or a series of drumbeats. Since no one knows what extraterrestrial communications will 'sound like,' it seems like a good idea to search for several types of signals. In scientific terms, Astropulse is a sky survey that searches for microsecond transient radio pulses."

Comments

Surprising

[FeatureBug]

I find it slightly surprising it has taken the SETI project how many years to start checking broadband as well as narrowband signals. All those years spending a fortune in resources but only checking narrowband seems rather a waste of time. I would have been checking all sorts of broadband signal types from the very beginning.

Yes but

[negRo_slim]

Haven't we already covered this? The cost in electricity for them to use my "unused" resources is not worth it for SETI which offers and most likely will never offer any tangible benefit to our society.

Re:Yes but

[vertinox]

The cost in electricity for them to use my "unused" resources is not worth it for SETI which offers and most likely will never offer any tangible benefit to our society.

True, but who are you to say what others due with their free CPU cycles?

Personally, I like protein folding, but if other people want to look for alien life with their cycles then its their computer.

Re:Yes but

[FlyingSquidStudios]

The proven existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life will have a profound effect on a lot of people's core religious beliefs. That alone will have a major effect on society and it might just turn a few people away from their outdated superstitious beliefs. I consider that a tangible benefit.

Re:Yes but

[Memroid]

Yes, but just think of how many more crazy religions it would spawn...

Re:we'll never find any signals

[Free the Cowards]

SETI is not searching for accidental transmissions or leakage. SETI is only searching for deliberate beacons being sent by alien civilizations. SETI's techniques cannot detect random radio chatter and are not intended to.