Are There Really 234 Alien Civilisations?

Sceptic or believer, it’s hard to argue with evidence that comes from one of Canada’s most prestigious universities. After analysing over 2.5 million stars, two astronomers from Quebec’s Laval University are claiming to have found evidence of 234 alien civilisations.

The intergalactic claims come from Professor Ermanno Borra, and his graduate student Eric Trottier. Together, the pair sifted through over 2.5 million stars and galaxies for signs of light pulses emitted at regular intervals. They discovered such signs in 234 stars, all measuring in at a similar size to the Sun. Borra and Trottier believe that alien civilisations are behind the signals, and that the light pulses are more than simply a natural occurrence.

Using the Fourier Transform to decipher light signals

So what makes the astronomers so certain that these 234 stars house alien civilisations? To gather the data they relied on the Fourier Transform (FT) of the light spectrum, a mathematical tool that allows researchers to detect where a signal’s components originate. In simple terms, if light signals are a cocktail, FT allows scientists to isolate each ingredient.   

During FT analysis the astronomers discovered periodic modulated components which they believe are a result of ultra-fast light pulses emitted at speeds of less than a trillionth of a second. According to Borra and Trottier, only extra-terrestrial intelligence (ETI) would be capable of creating such sophisticated signals. 

Astronomers claim ETI is the only explanation

Their controversial findings were published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, where they write off other explanations such as instrumental effects, rotation of molecules, rapid stellar pulsations and peculiar chemistry. Instead, they maintain that the pulses originate from powerful lasers.

“We find that the detected signals have exactly the shape of an ETI signal predicted in the previous publication and are therefore in agreement with this hypothesis,” reads the paper.

“The fact that they are only found in a very small fraction of stars within a narrow spectral range centered near the spectral type of the Sun is also in agreement with the ETI hypothesis.”

Stephen Hawking set to fund stage two

Stephen Hawking endorsed project Breakthrough Listen has already pledged to follow-up on the findings, and investigate each of the 234 stars. That said, the project’s UC Berkeley based team isn’t making any promises, with a representative stating that “the one in 10,000 objects with unusual spectra seen by Borra and Trottier are certainly worthy of additional study. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It is too early to unequivocally attribute these purported signals to the activities of extra-terrestrial civilisations.”

Education institutions like Laval University are continually pushing the boundaries of scientific research, both in outer space and on Planet Earth. For more information on the latest advancements, ‘Pioneering Centre for Nanoscale Materials Research Launched on Harwell Campus’ spotlights an exciting new British centre, purpose built for the study of nanoscale materials.