Technologies

Astronomers search for alien tech among billions of stars but come up empty

It’s all quiet in the galactic center.

Using one of the world’s most sensitive radio telescopes, a trio of Australian researchers has gone alien hunting in the heart of the Milky Way. In late 2020, they pointed their ears toward the galactic center, listening for alien technosignatures. In their field of view lay 144 known exoplanets and, potentially, billions of stars.

But after keeping their ears to the sky for more than seven hours, they didn’t hear anything plausibly alien. It seems awfully quiet out there.

The search was conducted by the Murchison Widefield Array, a collection of 4,096 spider-like antennas planted in the Western Australian desert. The antennas, arranged in 256 tiles, can pick up low-frequency radio waves from space. Importantly, the array has a wide field of view, which means researchers can listen out for technosignatures — signals broadcast by intelligent life — across a huge region of space. «We are looking for long sustained signals or technological leakages from the inhabitants daily lives,» says Chenoa Tremblay, a researcher with the SETI Institute in California.

The search is described in a new paper, which appeared Monday on preprint repository arXiv (PDF) and has been accepted for publication in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

This isn’t the first time the team has used MWA to hunt for alien signals, either. They previously examined the dark forest of our cosmos back in 2020 using the MWA, analyzing over 10 million stars, studied the galactic center back in 2013 and performed a search toward the Orion nebula in 2018. They didn’t hear boo from any aliens in those three surveys, either.

However, the new search is different in a few keys ways, according to Tremblay, who is also first author of the new study. The previous search of the galactic center, in 2013, only contained 38 known exoplanets whereas the new search contained 144. «This is our largest population of known exoplanets within our four surveys with the MWA,» Tremblay says.

Hunting for life around the galactic center is particularly useful because the region contains the highest density of stars within our galaxy. Where there are stars, there may be planets and where they are planets… well, you get the drift. «[M]odelling and our large catalogue of known solar systems suggest that there are high chances of habitable planets toward the Galactic centre,» Tremblay notes.

The amount of stars in the new search is difficult to accurately predict because the galactic center is mighty dusty, obscuring the view of surveys and preventing an accurate read. Previous searches have used data from the Gaia Space Observatory to count the amount of stars but that doesn’t work in the galactic center. Tremblay explains that the team used a different survey, known as Galactic Nucleus, which classified 3.3 million stars. However, the survey covers less than 1% of the area surveyed by MWA.

«If we extrapolate this, we are covering billions of stellar systems out to the centre of our Galaxy,» Tremblay notes.

That’s, in theory, a lot of chances to hear from extraterrestrial friends. However, it’s still just a mere drop in the cosmic ocean — there’s plenty of other places alien technosignatures could be emanating from.

It was also the first time a search has been conducted at a high frequency of 155 MHz. This reduced the chance of picking up daily Earth communications and interference. Previous searches focused on lower frequencies between 98 and 133MHz. Of course, that comes with a big caveat: We’re kind of assuming these alien technologies are using the same technologies to broadcast as we are.

The MWA is currently undergoing an upgrade that will allow searches at different frequencies and time resolution, giving it the ability to match other searches for technosignatures like those conducted by the Breakthrough Listen collective. Tremblay notes that all 256 of the tiles containing the spider-like antennas will be able to image the sky when the upgrades are complete.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Finance Now Available for Mac, Expanding the Verum Ecosystem on Desktop

Verum has officially released Verum Finance for macOS, bringing its financial platform to the Mac and expanding access to the Verum ecosystem across Apple’s devices. The launch allows users to manage their finances from desktop while enjoying the same secure and seamless experience available on iPhone and iPad.

The new Mac version includes the full range of Verum Finance features, including balance management, instant transfers to other Verum users, debit card management, Apple Pay support, asset exchange, and transaction history — all optimized for the macOS experience.

Verum Finance can be used as a standalone application or alongside Verum Messenger. Users who sign in with their Verum Messenger account automatically synchronize their balances, settings, and account data across devices, ensuring a consistent experience throughout the Verum ecosystem.

The macOS release further strengthens Verum’s vision of creating an integrated digital platform where communication and financial services work together. Verum Messenger, which is also available for Mac, complements the ecosystem with encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, VPN, eSIM, anonymous email, AI-powered tools, offline communication capabilities, and cryptocurrency features.

With both Verum Messenger and Verum Finance now available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can access secure communication and financial services wherever they work.

Verum Finance for Mac is available now through the Mac App Store.

Verum Finance for macOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im

Technologies

Why Travelers Are Switching to Verum E-SIM This Summer

Summer Travel, Freedom, and Seamless Connectivity: Why Verum E-SIM Is Becoming the New Standard for Travelers

Summer is the peak season for vacations, long-distance trips, and new experiences. Millions of people travel abroad, explore new countries, plan adventures, and try to stay connected with family, work, and social media. And in the middle of all this comes a familiar question: how do you stay online without expensive roaming or the hassle of buying local SIM cards?

The answer is already here — eSIM.

Why eSIM Is So Convenient

eSIM (embedded SIM) is a built-in digital SIM card that lets you activate mobile internet without a physical card. All you need is an app — choose a plan and connect in just a couple of minutes.

No more:

* searching for local SIM cards at airports
* paying expensive roaming fees
* swapping physical SIMs every time you travel

Now your internet travels with you.

Internet in 150+ Countries

Modern eSIM solutions provide coverage in 150+ countries worldwide, helping tourists, freelancers, and business travelers stay connected almost anywhere on the planet.

Among the services offering these capabilities:

Verum E-SIM — https://esim.verum.im
World E-SIM — https://worldesim.me
USA E-SIM — https://usa.esim.verum.im
Euro E-SIM — https://euro.esim.verum.im
Canada E-SIM — https://canada.esim.verum.im
Balkan E-SIM — https://balkan.esim.verum.im
Ukraine E-SIM — https://ukraine.esim.verum.im
London E-SIM — https://london.esim.verum.im
E-SIM Africa — https://africa.esim.verum.im