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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–2Cite as

SETI

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Synonyms

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Definition

SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is an exploratory science that seeks evidence of life in the universe by looking for some signature of its technology. See SETI (the SETI Institute) for more details.

Overview

Are there any technical civilizations out there? Do we have the technology to detect their signals? What would be the most efficient way to decipher their messages? The answers to these questions make the foundation of SETI.

Modern attempts to detect extraterrestrial signals date back half a century, to project Ozma in 1960. Early searches focused on the microwave region of the radio spectrum, where there is minimum interference from natural sources in the Galaxy. From those early beginnings, enormous improvements were achieved in the coverage of radio frequencies and area on the sky, but vast regions of search space remained unexplored. With time, new developments in our own technological capabilities...

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References and Further Reading

  • Anderson DP et al (2002) SETI@home: an experiment in public-resource computing. Commun ACM 45:56–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cocconi G, Morrison P (1959) Searching for interstellar communication. Nature 184:844–846

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Garber SJ (1999) Searching for good science: the cancellation of NASA’s SETI program. J Br Int Soc 52:3–12

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Howard AW et al (2004) Searches for nanosecond optical pulses from nearby solar-type stars. Astrophys J 613:1270–1284

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 2138, USA

    David W. Latham

Authors
  1. David W. Latham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David W. Latham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Latham, D.W. (2014). SETI. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1435-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1435-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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