🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 9 (from laksa105)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa009.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.newscientist.com/article/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.newscientist.com/article/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist\/","crawl_time":1774937596,"first_indexed_time":1620141655,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,newscientist!www,\/article\/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist\/ s443","src_root_hash":"443924557768237609","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Science with Sam: Do aliens exist? | New Scientist","meta_descriptions":["Do aliens exist? If there is intelligent alien life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we?"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Do aliens exist? It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of\nScience with Sam\n, we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here.\nTune in every week to \nyoutube.com\/newscientist\n for a new episode, or check back to \nnewscientist.com\nMore about \nScience with Sam\nPrevious episode: \nWhy can’t we stay awake indefinitely?\nVideo transcript\nWe humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us.  Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet?  Or have we?\nIn 1961, the astronomer\nFrank Drake\ndevised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity.  Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo?\nFor physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few:\nThere is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe\nDepressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible.\nThey’re ghosting us\nMaybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures.  A bit like the “prime directive”, on\nStar Trek\n.\nThey don’t live long enough to get in touch\nThis idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom.\nThey’re already here\nFrom Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news?\nIf there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20.\nThe silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part.  In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born.\nThen, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet.\nBut listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move.\nDrake tried this too, sending a\nradio message\ntowards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet.\nThen, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including\nBach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry\n, to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?!\nBy now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening.\n“It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says\nDan Werthimer\n, a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles.\nPutting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio.\nPlenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options:\nLook for biosignatures\nOver time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life.\nLook for technosignatures\nif we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce.\nCity lights\nAliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side.\nAliens on the go\nAlien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in\nStar Trek\n.\nMegastructures\nAliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners\nThe Ozymandias Effect\nThe ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future.\nIf we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life?\nTopics:","attrs_markdown":"Close\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist\/#first-link)\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/login\/ \"Sign In page link\")\n\nLight\n\n- [Curiosity engine](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/curiosity-engine)\n- [Events](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/science-events\/)\n- [Tours](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/tours\/)\n- [Shop](https:\/\/shop.newscientist.com\/)\n\n[Subscribe now](https:\/\/subscription.newscientist.com\/packages\/p\/cms\/TB)\n\n### Explore by section\n- [News](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/section\/news\/)\n- [Features](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/section\/features\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/sign-up\/)\n- [Podcasts](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/podcasts\/)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/video\/)\n- [Comment](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/section\/comment\/)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/section\/culture\/)\n- [Games](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/games\/)\n- \\|\n- [This week's magazine](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/issues\/current\/)\n\n### Explore by subject\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/health\/)\n- [Space](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/space\/)\n- [Physics](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/physics\/)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/technology\/)\n- [Environment](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/environment\/)\n- [Mind](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/mind\/)\n- [Humans](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/humans\/)\n- [Life](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/life\/)\n- [Mathematics](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/mathematics\/)\n- [Chemistry](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/chemistry\/)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/earth\/)\n- [Society](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/society\/)\n\n### Explore our products and services\n- [Curiosity engine](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/curiosity-engine)\n- [Events](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/science-events\/)\n- [Tours](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/tours\/)\n- [Shop](https:\/\/shop.newscientist.com\/)\n\n[Subscribe now](https:\/\/subscription.newscientist.com\/packages\/p\/cms\/TB)\n\n[Subscribe now](https:\/\/subscription.newscientist.com\/packages\/p\/cms\/TB)\n\n#### [Space](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/subject\/space\/)\n# Science with Sam: Do aliens exist?\nDo aliens exist? If there is intelligent alien life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we?\n\n4 May 2021\n\nDo aliens exist? It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of *Science with Sam*, we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here.\n\nTune in every week to [youtube.com\/newscientist](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/newscientist) for a new episode, or check back to [newscientist.com](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/)\n\n#### **More about [Science with Sam](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLuz7RUvtFdHJG_W0gE_DO7oenhGQb4S-3)**\n**Previous episode: [Why can’t we stay awake indefinitely?](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2274234-science-with-sam-why-cant-we-stay-awake-indefinitely\/)**\n\nAdvertisement\n\n## Video transcript\nWe humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us. Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we?\n\nIn 1961, the astronomer [Frank Drake](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg20527427-000-frank-drake-half-a-century-listening-for-et\/) devised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity. Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo?\n\nFor physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few:\n\n#### There is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe\nDepressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible.\n\n#### They’re ghosting us\nMaybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures. A bit like the “prime directive”, on *Star Trek*.\n\n#### They don’t live long enough to get in touch\nThis idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom.\n\n#### They’re already here\nFrom Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news?\n\nIf there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20.\n\nThe silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part. In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born.\n\nThen, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet.\n\nBut listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move.\n\nDrake tried this too, sending a [radio message](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Interstellar_radio_message) towards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet.\n\nThen, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including [Bach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry](http:\/\/voyager.jpl.nasa.gov\/spacecraft\/music.html), to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?\\!\n\nBy now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening.\n\n“It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says [Dan Werthimer](http:\/\/astro.berkeley.edu\/researcher-profile\/2631939-dan-werthimer), a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles.\n\nPutting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio.\n\n#### Plenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options:\n#### Look for biosignatures\nOver time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life.\n\n#### Look for technosignatures\nif we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce.\n\n#### City lights\nAliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side.\n\n#### Aliens on the go\nAlien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in *Star Trek*.\n\n#### Megastructures\nAliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners\n\n#### The Ozymandias Effect\nThe ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future.\n\nIf we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life?\n\nTopics:\n\n- [space](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article-topic\/space\/)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n## Sign up to our weekly newsletter\nReceive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with  *New Scientist*  events and special offers.\n\n[Sign up](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/sign-up\/weekly)\n\n## More from *New Scientist*\nExplore the latest news, articles and features\n\n[![Astronaut running during sunset at a remote planet](https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/17162041\/SEI_289181668.jpg) Health How working out like an astronaut can reduce back pain and slow ageing Features](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2519666-how-working-out-like-an-astronaut-can-reduce-back-pain-and-slow-ageing\/)\n\n[![Captivating space images show how it has inspired us through the ages](https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/18105023\/sei289940373.jpg) Space Captivating space images show how it has inspired us through the ages Regulars](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg26935870-200-captivating-space-images-show-how-it-has-inspired-us-through-the-ages\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11100603\/SEI_287653228.jpg) Space Maggie Aderin's dream: To walk by the footprints of Neil Armstrong Culture](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2518966-maggie-aderins-dream-to-walk-by-the-footprints-of-neil-armstrong\/)\n\n[![Project Hail Mary is a spiritual sibling to The Martian - and it's fab](https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/09145038\/sei288126958.jpg) Comment Project Hail Mary is a spiritual sibling to The Martian - and it's fab Culture](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2518652-project-hail-mary-is-a-spiritual-sibling-to-the-martian-and-its-fab\/)\n\n#### Popular articles\nTrending *New Scientist* articles\n\n[1 The Shroud of Turin bears DNA from many people, plants and animals](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2521236-the-shroud-of-turin-bears-dna-from-many-people-plants-and-animals\/)\n\n[2 Surprising male G-spot found in most detailed study of the penis yet](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2520982-surprising-male-g-spot-found-in-most-detailed-study-of-the-penis-yet\/)\n\n[3 The weird physics of plant-based milks is only just coming to light](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2521037-the-weird-physics-of-plant-based-milks-is-only-just-coming-to-light\/)\n\n[4 AI data centres can warm surrounding areas by up to 9.1°C](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2521256-ai-data-centres-can-warm-surrounding-areas-by-up-to-9-1c\/)\n\n[5 The profound effect the heart-brain connection has on your health](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2519667-the-profound-effect-the-heart-brain-connection-has-on-your-health\/)\n\n[6 Why the lack of water on Mars is so mysterious](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2521185-why-the-lack-of-water-on-mars-is-so-mysterious\/)\n\n[7 Food shock is inevitable due to the Iran war – and it could get bad](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2521311-food-shock-is-inevitable-due-to-the-iran-war-and-it-could-get-bad\/)\n\n[8 The simple questions cracking the hard problem of consciousness](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2519288-the-simple-questions-cracking-the-hard-problem-of-consciousness\/)\n\n[9 Author of Red Mars calls 'bullshit' on emigrating to the planet](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2520312-author-of-red-mars-calls-bullshit-on-emigrating-to-the-planet\/)\n\n[10 Brutal Iron Age massacre may have targeted women and children](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2516527-brutal-iron-age-massacre-may-have-targeted-women-and-children\/)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[![Piano End 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It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of *Science with Sam*, we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here.\n\nTune in every week to [youtube.com\/newscientist](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/newscientist) for a new episode, or check back to [newscientist.com](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/)\n\n#### **More about [Science with Sam](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLuz7RUvtFdHJG_W0gE_DO7oenhGQb4S-3)**\n**Previous episode: [Why can’t we stay awake indefinitely?](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2274234-science-with-sam-why-cant-we-stay-awake-indefinitely\/)**\n\n## Video transcript\nWe humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us. Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we?\n\nIn 1961, the astronomer [Frank Drake](https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg20527427-000-frank-drake-half-a-century-listening-for-et\/) devised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity. Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo?\n\nFor physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few:\n\n#### There is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe\nDepressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible.\n\n#### They’re ghosting us\nMaybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures. A bit like the “prime directive”, on *Star Trek*.\n\n#### They don’t live long enough to get in touch\nThis idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom.\n\n#### They’re already here\nFrom Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news?\n\nIf there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20.\n\nThe silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part. In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born.\n\nThen, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet.\n\nBut listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move.\n\nDrake tried this too, sending a [radio message](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Interstellar_radio_message) towards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet.\n\nThen, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including [Bach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry](http:\/\/voyager.jpl.nasa.gov\/spacecraft\/music.html), to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?\\!\n\nBy now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening.\n\n“It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says [Dan Werthimer](http:\/\/astro.berkeley.edu\/researcher-profile\/2631939-dan-werthimer), a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles.\n\nPutting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio.\n\n#### Plenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options:\n#### Look for biosignatures\nOver time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life.\n\n#### Look for technosignatures\nif we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce.\n\n#### City lights\nAliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side.\n\n#### Aliens on the go\nAlien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in *Star Trek*.\n\n#### Megastructures\nAliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners\n\n#### The Ozymandias Effect\nThe ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future.\n\nIf we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life?\n\nTopics:","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	Do aliens exist? It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of Science with Sam , we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here. Tune in every week to youtube.com/newscientist for a new episode, or check back to newscientist.com More about Science with Sam Previous episode: Why can’t we stay awake indefinitely? Video transcript We humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us. Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we? In 1961, the astronomer Frank Drake devised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity. Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo? For physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few: There is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe Depressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible. They’re ghosting us Maybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures. A bit like the “prime directive”, on Star Trek . They don’t live long enough to get in touch This idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom. They’re already here From Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news? If there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20. The silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part. In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born. Then, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet. But listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move. Drake tried this too, sending a radio message towards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet. Then, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including Bach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry , to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?! By now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening. “It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says Dan Werthimer , a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles. Putting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio. Plenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options: Look for biosignatures Over time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life. Look for technosignatures if we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce. City lights Aliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side. Aliens on the go Alien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in Star Trek . Megastructures Aliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners The Ozymandias Effect The ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future. If we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life? Topics:
Markdown	Close Advertisement [Skip to content](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2274302-science-with-sam-do-aliens-exist/#first-link) [Sign in](https://www.newscientist.com/login/ "Sign In page link") Light - [Curiosity engine](https://www.newscientist.com/curiosity-engine) - [Events](https://www.newscientist.com/science-events/) - [Tours](https://www.newscientist.com/tours/) - [Shop](https://shop.newscientist.com/) [Subscribe now](https://subscription.newscientist.com/packages/p/cms/TB) ### Explore by section - [News](https://www.newscientist.com/section/news/) - [Features](https://www.newscientist.com/section/features/) - [Newsletters](https://www.newscientist.com/sign-up/) - [Podcasts](https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts/) - [Video](https://www.newscientist.com/video/) - [Comment](https://www.newscientist.com/section/comment/) - [Culture](https://www.newscientist.com/section/culture/) - [Games](https://www.newscientist.com/games/) - \\| - [This week's magazine](https://www.newscientist.com/issues/current/) ### Explore by subject - [Health](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/health/) - [Space](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/space/) - [Physics](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/physics/) - [Technology](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/technology/) - [Environment](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/environment/) - [Mind](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/mind/) - [Humans](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/humans/) - [Life](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/life/) - [Mathematics](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/mathematics/) - [Chemistry](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/chemistry/) - [Earth](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/earth/) - [Society](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/society/) ### Explore our products and services - [Curiosity engine](https://www.newscientist.com/curiosity-engine) - [Events](https://www.newscientist.com/science-events/) - [Tours](https://www.newscientist.com/tours/) - [Shop](https://shop.newscientist.com/) [Subscribe now](https://subscription.newscientist.com/packages/p/cms/TB) [Subscribe now](https://subscription.newscientist.com/packages/p/cms/TB) #### [Space](https://www.newscientist.com/subject/space/) # Science with Sam: Do aliens exist? Do aliens exist? If there is intelligent alien life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we? 4 May 2021 Do aliens exist? It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of Science with Sam, we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here. Tune in every week to [youtube.com/newscientist](https://www.youtube.com/newscientist) for a new episode, or check back to [newscientist.com](https://www.newscientist.com/) #### More about [Science with Sam](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuz7RUvtFdHJG_W0gE_DO7oenhGQb4S-3) Previous episode: [Why can’t we stay awake indefinitely?](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2274234-science-with-sam-why-cant-we-stay-awake-indefinitely/) Advertisement ## Video transcript We humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us. Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we? In 1961, the astronomer [Frank Drake](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527427-000-frank-drake-half-a-century-listening-for-et/) devised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity. Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo? For physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few: #### There is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe Depressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible. #### They’re ghosting us Maybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures. A bit like the “prime directive”, on Star Trek. #### They don’t live long enough to get in touch This idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom. #### They’re already here From Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news? If there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20. The silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part. In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born. Then, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet. But listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move. Drake tried this too, sending a [radio message](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_radio_message) towards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet. Then, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including [Bach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry](http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html), to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?\! By now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening. “It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says [Dan Werthimer](http://astro.berkeley.edu/researcher-profile/2631939-dan-werthimer), a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles. Putting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio. #### Plenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options: #### Look for biosignatures Over time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life. #### Look for technosignatures if we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce. #### City lights Aliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side. #### Aliens on the go Alien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in Star Trek. #### Megastructures Aliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners #### The Ozymandias Effect The ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future. If we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life? Topics: - [space](https://www.newscientist.com/article-topic/space/) Advertisement ## Sign up to our weekly newsletter Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers. [Sign up](https://www.newscientist.com/sign-up/weekly) ## More from New Scientist Explore the latest news, articles and features [![Astronaut running during sunset at a remote planet](https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/17162041/SEI_289181668.jpg) Health How working out like an astronaut can reduce back pain and slow ageing Features](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2519666-how-working-out-like-an-astronaut-can-reduce-back-pain-and-slow-ageing/) [![Captivating space images show how it has inspired us through the ages](https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/18105023/sei289940373.jpg) Space Captivating space images show how it has inspired us through the ages Regulars](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26935870-200-captivating-space-images-show-how-it-has-inspired-us-through-the-ages/) [![](https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/11100603/SEI_287653228.jpg) Space Maggie Aderin's dream: To walk by the footprints of Neil Armstrong Culture](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2518966-maggie-aderins-dream-to-walk-by-the-footprints-of-neil-armstrong/) [![Project Hail Mary is a spiritual sibling to The Martian - 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Readable Markdown	Do aliens exist? It’s a question that has spawned countless films and TV series, books, podcasts, artwork and conspiracy theories, but the question of whether or not we are truly alone in the universe remains unanswered. In this episode of Science with Sam, we explain the ongoing hunt for extra-terrestrial life and whether or not they might already be here. Tune in every week to [youtube.com/newscientist](https://www.youtube.com/newscientist) for a new episode, or check back to [newscientist.com](https://www.newscientist.com/) #### More about [Science with Sam](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuz7RUvtFdHJG_W0gE_DO7oenhGQb4S-3) Previous episode: [Why can’t we stay awake indefinitely?](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2274234-science-with-sam-why-cant-we-stay-awake-indefinitely/) ## Video transcript We humans are obsessed with the idea that we’re not alone, that somewhere out there in the universe, there are other life forms intelligent enough to communicate with us. Or maybe even destroy us. But if there is life out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? Or have we? In 1961, the astronomer [Frank Drake](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527427-000-frank-drake-half-a-century-listening-for-et/) devised a calculation that predicted the existence of millions of civilisations out there among the stars. His Drake Equation used some fairly speculative assumptions, but it ignited our curiosity. Are we just one small part of a vast, cosmic zoo? For physicist Enrico Fermi, the contradiction between this prediction and reality made no sense, and it came to be known as the Fermi Paradox. “Where is everybody?”, he wanted to know. There could be an infinite number of answers to this question. Here are a few: #### There is no paradox and we really are alone in the universe Depressing though it may be, sometimes the simplest answers are the most plausible. #### They’re ghosting us Maybe aliens have a policy not to interfere with less advanced cultures. A bit like the “prime directive”, on Star Trek. #### They don’t live long enough to get in touch This idea, known as the Great Filter, says that no advanced civilisation survives long enough to still be around when its neighbours are thriving. For us, threats like nuclear war, climate change or pandemics might spell our doom. #### They’re already here From Roswell to The Lubbock Lights, there have been plenty of UFO sightings on Earth. Is the government hiding the evidence? Or is it fake news? If there are any aliens watching, why not say hi in the comments below? Better yet, click like and subscribe. You might learn a lot about human behaviour from our videos. And, both Aliens and earthlings can get 20 per cent off a New Scientist subscription by using the code SAM20. The silence from other civilisations is not for want of looking on our part. In 1960, Drake pointed a radio telescope towards two nearby stars, and waited for that hotline bling. Instead of intelligent messages he got a load of static, and interference from a secret military experiment. Nevertheless, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, was born. Then, on 15 August, 1977, another SETI program recorded a brief radio signal coming from the direction of Sagittarius. Jerry Ehman, the astronomer analysing the data at ‘Big Ear’ telescope that day, was so excited that he wrote “Wow!” in the margin of the print-out. So far, that ‘Wow!’ signal stands as our most hopeful sign of alien communication yet. But listening for ET to phone home is a bit like standing by the payphone, waiting for the phone to ring. Maybe we have to make the first move. Drake tried this too, sending a [radio message](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_radio_message) towards globular star cluster M13. Known as the Arecibo message, it showed potential aliens our DNA structure, solar system and some of the biochemicals of earthly life. We also tried sending aliens a greeting onboard space probes Pioneer 10 and 11, which included images of humans and directions to our planet. Then, in 1977, we sent a more ambitious message, full of audio and images, on board the Voyager probes. We even included a mixtape of some of our favourite tunes, including [Bach, Beethoven, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry](http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html), to impress any friendly lifeforms – or at least the ones with ears. And if that didn’t entice them to get in touch, maybe this illustration of humans eating, licking and drinking might?\! By now aliens might know quite a lot about us – including what we need to survive and how to reach us. And you might be wondering whether it’s such a good idea to be broadcasting our location all over the galaxy, when we don’t know who’s listening. “It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears”, says [Dan Werthimer](http://astro.berkeley.edu/researcher-profile/2631939-dan-werthimer), a SETI researcher. Worse still, these bears might have planet-destroying interstellar missiles. Putting aside the question of whether we should try to contact aliens, are we even doing it right? These alien societies might be millions of years old, so to them our radio messages might look as outdated as flip phones, pagers, and, well, radio. #### Plenty of other ways to look for life have been tried or suggested. Here are a few options: #### Look for biosignatures Over time, the biochemistry of billions of creatures can transform a world in distinctive ways. By analysing the wavelengths of light that come through the planet’s atmosphere, we can look for gases that suggest the presence of life. #### Look for technosignatures if we do see signs of life on another planet, that won’t tell us whether it is inhabited by mindless green slime or sentient city-builders. A more reliable approach to look for kindred spirits is to look for chemicals that only intelligent civilisations can produce. #### City lights Aliens with night vision as limited as ours might festoon their built environment with artificial lighting. So maybe we could spot cities lit up on the planet’s dark side. #### Aliens on the go Alien spaceships might be easier to spot than their home planets. Maybe, we can look for high-powered lasers used to push optical sails, or intense plumes of light generated by an antimatter engine, like those imagined in Star Trek. #### Megastructures Aliens might have built gargantuan engineering projects like Dyson spheres, named after the physicist and engineer Freeman Dyson, which are swarms of devices around a star that harvest its energy, and nothing to do with vacuum cleaners #### The Ozymandias Effect The ruins of advanced civilisations doomed by their own technology might have their own telltale signatures. If we find dead civilisations before we find living ones, that might not bode well for our own future. If we do make contact with aliens, it would be a decisive blow to the idea that humans are the centre of the universe. But how much cooler would it be to discover that we’re just one branch of a vast galactic tree of life? Topics:
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