Finding THEM: What’s new in SETI…in a talk by Dr. Paul Horowitz, emeritus Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at Harvard.
Where is there intelligent life? At times like these, some of what we hear may tempt us to wonder about it even on our home planet! This may make it a terrific time to revisit the question of intelligence elsewhere in the universe. Some 15 years ago, ADLAA members greatly enjoyed a talk on SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) by Paul Horowitz. He assures us that almost everything has changed since then. We’re delighted that Paul will be back to regale us with an after dinner talk on the very latest thinking.
It’s been a half-century since Cocconi and Morrison’s stunning proposal to seek alien intelligence with radiotelescopes at a special wavelength (21 cm), during which many attempts have been made. Since ADLAA last heard about this subject, we’ve learned much more — for example that the galaxy is richly populated with Earth-like planets. And last year an individual pledged $100 million to the search. In this illustrated talk Paul will review the story of SETI, tell you about some searches going on, and the prospects for ultimate success.