SearchLites - Vol 09 No 3

Magazine Overview

SearchLites, Volume 9, Number 3, Summer 2003, is the quarterly newsletter of The SETI League, Inc. This issue announces the winners of the SETICon03 event, explores theories about the origin of life on Mars and its potential migration to Earth, revisits historical attempts to contact Mars, and features an interview with Dr. H. Paul Shuch about the state and future of SETI. It also introduces the "Rio Scale" for evaluating SETI detections and includes a "SETI Bookshelf" section with recommended reading.

Announcing our SETICon Winners

The issue begins by announcing the recipients of The SETI League's highest honors from SETICon03, held in April 2003. The Giordano Bruno Memorial Award, recognizing significant technical contributions to amateur SETI, was presented to Philip and Phylis Morrison. The Morrisons are known for their popular science books and their role in proposing techniques for radio astronomers. Phylis Morrison is honored in memoriam. The Orville N. Greene Service Award, for unusual volunteer contributions to The SETI League, was given to Professor Allen Tough of the University of Toronto, a futurist involved in speculative SETI science and a former chairman of the League's Strategic Planning Committee. The article also lists generous door prize donors and winners from the Awards Banquet, including Dr. Bruce Cornet for the Grand Prize.

It's True, Men Really Are from Mars

This article by Paul Davies, from The Guardian, presents a theory that life may have originated on Mars and been transported to Earth. Davies argues that Mars, being smaller, cooled faster and offered a more hospitable environment for early life than a very hot Earth. He posits that asteroid impacts on Mars ejected rocks containing microbes, which then traveled through space and seeded life on Earth. Evidence cited includes Martian meteorites found on Earth and the rapid appearance of life on Earth after the period of heavy bombardment. The theory suggests that microbes could survive ejection, space radiation, and atmospheric re-entry if shielded within rocks.

Extraterrestrial DX Circa 1924: "Will We Talk to Mars in August?"

This article by Thomas H. White recounts the public fascination with contacting Mars in the summer of 1924. Driven by astronomer Percival Lowell's theories about Martian canals and advanced civilizations, many people believed communication was possible via radio. While no attempts were made to transmit to Mars due to limited power and ionospheric interference, efforts focused on intercepting potential Martian broadcasts. Professor David Todd organized radio silent periods, and military stations were ordered to monitor for unusual signals. Reports of strange signals were received from Vancouver and London. A notable event involved WHAS in Louisville, Kentucky, which broadcast a mock battle, and some listeners mistook the sounds of artillery and small arms fire for Martian signals. The article concludes that the signals were eventually explained as terrestrial interference or new beacon technology, but the desire to communicate with Mars persisted.

An Interview with Dr. SETI ®

Conducted by Nilanjana Sarker, this interview with Dr. H. Paul Shuch, Executive Director of The SETI League, addresses several key aspects of SETI research. Dr. Shuch discusses the cancellation of NASA SETI funding, emphasizing the importance of grassroots efforts and the role of radio amateurs. He expresses optimism about detecting extraterrestrial intelligence if it exists within our timeframe, comparing The SETI League's chances to other organizations. He notes a significant drop in private donations but stresses the organization's ongoing pursuit of its mission. Dr. Shuch explains that SETI aims for existence proof, not deciphering messages, and believes intelligent life is likely common, with an evolutionary imperative for communication. He discusses the possibility of non-carbon-based life and the potential for artificial lifeforms to evolve. Regarding the danger of revealing our presence, he acknowledges the universe is inherently dangerous but advocates for confronting danger in pursuit of knowledge. He foresees The SETI League facing fiscal challenges in the next five years but hopes for a resurgence of support for SETI research. He also touches on the search across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and the potential for detecting gravity waves.

Editorial: Blame It On Rio

Dr. H. Paul Shuch introduces the "Rio Scale," a new metric developed by the international SETI community to assess the significance and credibility of claimed ETI detections. Proposed in Rio de Janeiro and refined by the International Academy of Astronautics, the scale uses four questions to quantify the impact of a detection, yielding a single integer from zero to ten. The scale is designed to bring objectivity to the interpretation of SETI signals and is available via an interactive JavaScript-enabled calculator on the SETI League's website. Shuch expresses hope that the Rio Scale will become a standard measurement, similar to the Richter Scale for earthquakes, and suggests that future significant detections are likely to be made by SETI League members.

SETI Bookshelf

This section provides a curated list of recommended reading compiled by Prof. Allen Tough for "Contact In Context." Titles include "Astrobiology" (a new quarterly journal), "SETI 6: The search for extraterrestrial intelligence" (a special issue of Acta Astronautica), "Cosmic evolution: The rise of complexity in nature" by Eric Chaisson, "Life everywhere: The maverick science of astrobiology" by David Darling, and "The biological universe: The twentieth-century extraterrestrial life debate and the limits of science" by Steven J. Dick. The recommendations cover topics such as the origin of life, astrobiology, and the potential for artificial intelligence.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of SearchLites revolve around the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), the scientific exploration of life's origins and potential existence beyond Earth, and the practical aspects of conducting SETI research. The editorial stance of The SETI League, as articulated by Dr. H. Paul Shuch, is one of persistent, grassroots effort, emphasizing the crucial role of amateur radio operators and the need for continued scientific inquiry despite funding challenges. There is a strong belief in the potential for life elsewhere in the universe and a commitment to developing methodologies, like the Rio Scale, to rigorously evaluate potential evidence. The magazine also highlights the historical context of SETI and the public's enduring fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial contact.