Something May Be Scrambling Alien Messages, NASA-Funded Research Finds

"If a signal gets broadened by its own star's environment, it can slip below our detection thresholds, even if it's there, potentially helping explain some of the radio silence we've seen in technosignature searches. SETI efforts typically focus on narrowbands, which appear as spikes, because these signals aren't produced by natural phenomena."

"The study focuses on how potential extraterrestrial signals being beamed into the cosmos could be scrambled by common astronomical phenomena, like solar storms and plasma turbulence near an alien home world. These volatile events could broaden the narrow frequency of the potential alien signals, spreading them thin across multiple frequencies and making them nearly undetectable."

A NASA-funded study from the SETI Institute proposes that space weather—including solar storms and plasma turbulence—may explain the Fermi paradox by scrambling potential alien signals. SETI searches typically target narrow-band signals because natural phenomena produce broad signals, making narrow bands indicative of artificial transmissions. However, when signals travel through space, they encounter obstacles and environmental interference. The research examined how solar activity disrupts radio transmissions between spacecraft and Earth, suggesting similar effects could broaden alien signals across multiple frequencies. This broadening would cause signals to fall below detection thresholds, potentially explaining the radio silence observed in technosignature searches despite the possible existence of extraterrestrial civilizations.

Read at Futurism