Network of Home Computers Detected 100 Potential Alien Signals

"The goal of the project, called SETI@home, was to trawl through data collected by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico for signs of unusual radio signals from the cosmos. It was a powerful example of "distributed computing," which relies on a huge network of individual computers - but whether the search has borne any fruit remains unclear as scientists continue to analyze the wealth of data."

"SETI@home concluded after 21 years in 2020, producing a whopping 12 billion detections, according to a UC Berkeley press release, making it "one of the most popular crowd-sourced research projects ever." Over the years, researchers whittled down the data to just 100 signals that were "worth a second look" by eliminating radio frequency interference and noise with the help of a supercomputer. Since July, they've been using China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), in the hopes of catching another glimpse of the identified targets."

"Even if the project never leads to first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species, it doesn't mean SETI@home was a waste of time. Researchers are still trawling through the FAST data, but early conclusions of the project and its effectiveness have already resulted in two papers that were published last year in The Astronomical Journal. "If we don't find ET, what we can say is that we established a new sensitivity level," said project cofounder David Anderson in a statement."

SETI@home ran for 21 years, harnessing millions of volunteer computers to analyze Arecibo Observatory radio data for unusual signals possibly indicating extraterrestrial intelligence. The project produced about 12 billion candidate detections and narrowed results to roughly 100 targets after removing radio-frequency interference and noise with supercomputer analysis. Researchers have used China's FAST telescope since July to reobserve identified targets while Arecibo is being decommissioned after its 2020 collapse. Two papers published last year present early conclusions and updated sensitivity limits. The project established new search sensitivity levels and aims to inspire successor crowdsourced efforts.

Read at Futurism