Why Don’t They Do SETI?

By Seth Shostak

SETI Institute

posted: 08 May 2008, 12:30 am ET

A widespread and popular impression of SETI is that it’s a worldwide enterprise. Well, it’s not, and there’s something modestly puzzling in that.
…

So what’s the story? Why is SETI nearly exclusively an American game?

The oddity of this was brought home to me a few years ago when I held a colloquium on SETI research at the Dutch university in Groningen where I was once employed. The room was full — overfull actually, with students and faculty braced against the walls. My first question was, “How many of you think it’s likely there are intelligent extraterrestrials out there in the Galaxy?” Virtually every hand went up.

I followed with “and how many of you are willing to spend one guilder a year to look for it?” (That’s the cost of one cup of subsidized university coffee. One cup per year.) The hands all went down.

I was stunned. When, after my talk, I inquired of a faculty member why the Dutch were reluctant to mount a SETI program, his answer was, “We’re too sober for that.” I didn’t understand his comment, especially given the concordant opinion that there could be something to find.

Let’s be clear: it’s not that the Dutch don’t have the radio telescopes or technical smarts. They do. It’s not because they don’t have the money. They do.

And so do the British, French, Germans, Canadians, Japanese and lots and lots of others.

So, as Gertrude Stein asked, “What’s the answer?” What’s so singular about Americans that only they are willing to spend a small (very small) amount of money and a bit of time to try and answer a truly important question about life, the universe, and everything?

Full article here:

http://www.space.com/searchforlife/080508-seti-why-dont.html