Since the creation of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program, many scientists have been concerned with the question: what would happen if we detected a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence? Special protocols have been developed for this, but the question of how exactly this discovery will affect people is still open.
In 2020, a paper by Kenneth Visian and John Traphagen suggested that there was a risk of finding extraterrestrial life that had not been sufficiently explored before. Vizian and Traphagen argued that the danger of detection did not come from the aliens themselves, but from the fact that the advantage of accessing this message could cause earthly problems, such as espionage, escalation of conflicts between states, and could even lead to “external “war.
The study aimed to model what politicians can do in this case. As seen in some sci-fi movies, it is assumed that the military will quickly take control of alien contact. A new study by Jason Wright, Chelsea Haramia and Gabriel Sweeney argues that this approach is flawed. They say that the detection of a signal from space will be very difficult to keep secret.
SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak, who was not involved in the study, believes many of the protocols and scenarios they’ve worked on don’t really consider how public such a discovery would be. Shostak believes that when aliens are discovered, the media will immediately start spreading this information. Usually in a few hours the whole world will know about this event.
For example, in 1997, when a signal coming from outside the earth’s atmosphere and apparently extraterrestrial was detected, it took the New York Times only 15 hours to find out and call the institute. The signal turned out to be regular telemetry from the SOHO spacecraft, but the media had already covered it heavily. No major conflicts or military escalation were found either.
Visian and Traphagen believe that radio telescopes and extraterrestrial life researchers should increase their security in the event of detection. Many scientists are worried about this proposal, because given the number of people who believe that the government and military are now hiding aliens, such an approach is likely to lead to the above negative scenario.
On the other hand, Wright, Haramia and Sweeney believe that the transparency and openness of researchers looking for intelligent civilizations in space is the key to dealing with the possible risks that may appear in the global arena. Governments and the public in general should be aware of possible scenarios.
Shostak believes that the most important thing that people and politicians should pay attention to is that the detected signal does not represent a potential danger.
The nearest star is almost 4 light years away. This distance is too great for a modern spacecraft. If an alien civilization with bad intentions is able to quickly overcome this road, then why do they need to send a signal in advance?
Should we respond to an alien signal?
In 2010, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) published a Declaration of Principles Regarding the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. It states that after final discovery, there should be no response without international consultation.
However, Shostak believes the response concerns are highly moot. Our television broadcasts and airport radars have been sending signals into space for decades. The aliens can simply send a message, thereby confirming that they have heard us.