How Aliens Might Find Earth

As early as 1972, a probe carrying information about humanity was sent into space in case advanced aliens could use it to detect us. Today, something like that no longer seems necessary, as a new study suggests: Aliens can find us simply through our cell phone signals.

Research from the University of Manchester and the University of Mauritius, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, shows that radiation from our cell towers could alert alien life forms to Earth.

This means neither the modern 5G network nor carcinogenic waves, but rather the regular radiation that is used in mobile communications, television broadcasting or W-Lan. According to the research team, this reaches into space and could be received there.

With technology as it exists on Earth, this is not possible, as the study states. However, if one assumes that an extraterrestrial life form that has mastered space travel has more advanced measuring devices than mankind, it is significantly more likely that they will perceive our radiation.

As Knowridge Science Report quotes study leader Mike Garrett, cell phone radiation on Earth is also steadily increasing as the number of mobile devices increases. Each one of them only has a low level of radiation, but billions of them would develop an enormous impact. As the number of these devices increases, Earth would become more visible to an advanced life form from space, Garrett explains.

For their study, the scientists used crowdsourced data to simulate escaping radio signals from cell towers. They wanted to find out what life forms from relatively nearby stars would perceive from Earth, including Barnard’s Arrow Star, six light-years away.

They found that the radiation emanates from all parts of the world, including developing countries.

A prerequisite for an actual visit from space is that the aliens are close enough and have the appropriate technology that is superior to ours. However, co-author Nalini Heerallal-Issur is convinced of this possibility. “I think it’s entirely possible that there are advanced civilizations out there, and some of them might be able to sense the radiation from Earth,” she is quoted as saying by Science Focus.

Thanks to our own advances, such as the James Webb Telescope, we might be able to see the aliens coming should they be lured in by our cell phone radiation.