July 29, 2024

Lauren Coursey 

11th Grade

Gatton Academy

Humanity has searched for life around other stars for nearly 85 years, propelled by a deep desire to learn its place in the vast cosmic expanse. The vast majority of existing data indicates no signs of extraterrestrial life’s existence. However, this does not necessarily mean that humanity is alone in the universe. Consider the fact that 85 years is only slightly longer than a single human lifetime in the 300,000 years of our existence as Homo Sapiens. Also, for most of that period, our methods of investigation were incomplete, such as sending out radio waves that will most likely decay before they are intercepted by another species. For most of those 85 years, we have been looking for physical, biological evidence that is simply impossible to detect over distances of hundreds of light years or waiting for another species to detect us.

Recently, this necessity has engendered a new methodology that is far less susceptible to the same barriers: technosignature seeking. Just as we have advanced and created new technologies that leave their mark on the world, so would any intelligent civilization, so say the proponents of techno-signature science. Therefore, cutting-edge technology is used to search for large-scale evidence - much easier to find than minute life signs - such as in Project Hephaistos, the latest effort to comb through pre-existent data from the Gaia Space Observatory to find evidence of alien life. Specifically, the scientists are searching for Dyson Spheres, hypothetical megastructures devised by Freeman Dyson in 1960– spheres of satellites encapsulating the host star of an intelligent species - enabling them to use the near-limitless energy of a star for themselves. These megastructures are widely considered to be the most obvious step for an advanced civilization to take upon reaching the level of development allowing for it, and therefore, when they are discovered, clear evidence of such civilizations. 

Despite the size of these monolithic creations, however, attempting to visually locate one would be difficult and imprecise. We would have to use the most detailed telescopes ever made and account for false positives due to natural satellites or gas clouds more often than we truly find the Spheres themselves. However, we can take our knowledge of the nature of Dyson Spheres and use that to find them in an entirely different light; specifically, infrared. Dyson Spheres are ultimately technological tools that consume and release energy. The released energy is often so great in heat that our current instruments can detect it, which is exactly what Project Hephaistos is searching for: unexplained heat signatures combined with what few visual pieces of data we do possess. Through this method, plus rigorous testing for false positives and thorough re-checking of data, these hardworking scientists have uncovered not one but seven genuine candidates for stars inhabited by advanced extraterrestrial life.

Until we receive more data on these stars, however, they are simply candidates, as we do not yet have enough proof for the researchers to consider their conclusion definitive. Still, this is a monumental discovery. Whether or not it marks alien life, it is proof of how far our technology has propelled us into the cosmos - something thought impossible just a hundred years prior is now on the brink of discovery. As we move into the future, who knows what heights humanity will ascend to next?