Scientists Urge Broadening Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Scientists from around the world are discussing how to improve the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program after 50 years of "The Great Silence" at The Sound of Silence conference, being held at Arizona State University

"Have we been looking in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong way?" ASU astrophysicist Paul Davies told the New Scientist. "SETI's big mistake is that it's relying on ET to do all the heavy lifting," Princeton University astrophysicist Richard Gott said. According to Gott, if the aliens have the same attitude as us, "we'll all just be sitting round listening".

Australian astrophysicist Paul Davies said the approach currently being undertaken by SETI researchers is too narrow, assuming aliens communicate the same way we do here on Earth. "We're making a lot of assumptions about aliens based on human 20th century western society," he told New Scientist.

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http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/02/scientists-at-s.html