@setihub
Interdisciplinary research network at the University of St Andrews seti.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk Connecting science, policy, and society to prepare for the discovery of life beyond Earth @seti_hub at the other place
🧠 We often imagine alien contact as being intelligent.
But what if we first find a non-sentient organism?
Would their extraterrestrial origin grant greater moral status—or would we treat them like endangered species on Earth, where uneven protection and exploitation persists? ⚖️
🛰️ Why plan for contact before a confirmed signal?
Once a detection claim goes public, decisions about data, messaging, and verification will move fast. Waiting until that moment could create confusion, mistrust, and missed opportunities.
💬 What should be in place before any future announcement?
🌍 “Pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space, ‘Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth!” — Monty Python.
Belief in aliens is often linked to social dissatisfaction. If alien life were confirmed, would it unite humanity—or deepen alienation? 👽
🎭 Stories shape how we imagine contact, long before any real signal.
They influence what we expect, fear, and hope, and can help us explore futures and question simple narratives about contact outcomes.
💬 Which contact story influenced you most, and why?
Registration is now open for IAUS 404: Advancing the search for Technosignatures!
The symposium will be 2-6 March 2026.
For more information about the meeting, visit: iaus404.bmsis.org
NASA DARES Community Update at AGU
astrobiology.com/2025/12/nasa... #astrobiology #AGU #AGU25
SETI Institute logo. Text: Proposal Writing Workshop using NASA ROSES as an Example. 3 January 2026, 09:00 - 16:00 MST, Phoenix Convention Center. Speaker Christina Richey, Director of Partnerships and Business Development. Separate Registration Fee Required. Inset: Photo of Dr. Christina Richey with short, aqua hair, long star earrings, a gray cardigan, and a blue draped blouse. Also includes the AAS logo.
Proposal Writing Workshop: Using NASA ROSES as an Example
For those attending the winter American Astronomical Society (#AAS247) Meeting, an all-day proposal writing workshop will be sponsored by the NASA Science Mission Directorate and hosted by Dr. Christina Richey. 🧪 👩🔬
Hey, that's my paper! 😍
Thank you @astrobiology.bsky.social for featuring my work!
Are you interested in how detections of life beyond Earth should be handled? Check out this new work from our very own Hub members, Daliah Bibas @daliahbibas.bsky.social and Clément Vidal.
"The results will provide new insights into public responses to disputed detection events, with crucial implications for science/risk communication in astrobiology, as well as for post-detection communication strategies and protocols."A.S.
More on iRisCS-Com:
www.tu-ilmenau.de/en/universit... (8/8)
"The group of graduate students, including Gehad Elshebiny, Shao-Ting Hou, Mehmet Karpuz, Mohsin Mushtaq, Saira Rasheed, and Anjali Rawat, employ computational methods to analyze thousands of user comments to investigate reactions in terms of sentiment and other aspects." (7/8)
"The ongoing project includes cases such as exoplanet K2-18b, phosphine on Venus, Tabby's Star, Oumuamua, and 3I/ATLAS. Each video is currently being coded in terms of risk and benefit narratives, sources, science actors and evaluations, and frames of (un)certainty, etc." (6/8)
"Therefore, our study involves graduate students at Ilmenau University of Technology in analysing hundreds of YouTube videos on detection claims, in cooperation with data scientist Prof. Anamaria Berea at George Mason University, and the SETI Post-Detection Hub at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social.” (5/8)
"While no detections have been confirmed, several cases of claimed, disputed, or refuted detections have been documented, revealing potential public responses when a true positive is confirmed." (4/8)
"As research in risk and science communication shows, risk perceptions and public representations of astrobiology / SETI can play vital roles in how these events unfold in the public sphere." (3/8)
From P.D. Dr. habil. Andreas Schwarz:
"Although the likelihood of discovering simple (biosignatures) or intelligent (technosignatures) life in our galaxy is unknown, a true positive detection is expected to significantly impact society through amplification by social media and the news media." 2/8
Photo of the group of researchers at Ilmenau University of Technology in a meeting room in front of a large screen showing a colleague on a video call. Laptops are on the table in front of them. In the room, Andreas Schwarz together with the group of researchers, including Gehad Elshebiny, Shao-Ting Hou, Mehmet Karpuz, Mohsin Mushtaq, Saira Rasheed and Anjali Rawat. The group is currently analyzing hundreds of YouTube videos about such detection claims with data scientist Anamaria Berea (George Mason University) an the Hub.
What methods can research risk & science communication in post-detection contexts? How about analyzing YouTube content on post-detection claims?
Hub member & risk-communication scholar Andreas Schwarz shares work from his group at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Prof. Anamaria Berea and the Hub. 1/8
❤️ Is emotion part of intelligence?
Feelings influence how minds learn and respond to their surroundings.
💭 If emotions help organisms navigate complex environments on Earth, could something similar appear wherever intelligence evolves? What would an intelligent mind without emotion be like?
🌿 Does intelligence depend on environment?
Life’s surroundings shape how intelligence could form & function. On Earth, in alien worlds, or digital realms, each environment offers unique limits & possibilities.
💬 What kinds of environments do you think could create minds entirely unlike our own?
#ICYMI: Are we close to discovering life beyond Earth? Dr. Martin Dominik isn't certain, but he thinks we should be prepared to handle the consequences of finding that life. He spoke with Dr. Franck Marchis in this week's #SETILive. Watch the full interview: youtube.com/live/cULB0k2... 🧪 🔭
What happens after we discover life beyond Earth?
Today Martin Dominik is speaking with the SETI Institute’s Franck Marchis about our paper on post-detection futures.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cULB...
Live in 3 hours
#SETI #PostDetection #astronomy #astrobiology #technosignatures #space #science
Today's discovery of signs of past life on Mars is a legacy of President Obama's NASA direction from 2011-2015 to get the Mars program back on track.
Earlier this year, President Trump cut NASA's 2026 science budget by 47%.
The Perseverance rover on Mars has observed unusual minerals associated with organic matter — raising questions about the geochemistry of ancient Mars.
go.nature.com/469V1nr
A Mars sample collected in 2024 may be “the closest we’ve actually come to discovering ancient life on Mars,” according to NASA officials 🧪
eos.org/research-and...
We (The Hub) have made it as part of an exhibit at the Natural History Museum "Could Life Exist Beyond Earth" - exhibition display just seen by one of my colleagues at the SETI Post-Detection Hub . The word is spreading. 👽
SETI Post-Detection Futures: Directions for Technosignature Research and Readiness
astrobiology.com/2025/07/seti... #astrobiology #SETI #astronomy
thanks for sharing!
Edge-on spiral galaxy angled pointing lower left to upper right. It's glowing with a bright core that's cut with the dark veins of dust clouds. The background is peppered with a myriad of colorful stars and distant galaxies in black space.
A smooth, cigar-shaped galaxy angled pointing lower left to upper right glowing with a bright core. Two bright stars beam just to the upper left and lower right of the galaxy. The background is peppered with a myriad of colorful stars and distant galaxies in black space.
A face-on spiral with a bright core and sweeping arms knotted with blue clusters of star-forming regions. The background is peppered with a myriad of colorful stars and distant galaxies in black space.
A face-on spiral with a bright core and a single thin arm wrapping all the way around, almost looking like a ring. Two bright blue stars beam above and to the lower left of the galaxy, with a third yellow star to the lower right. The background is peppered with a myriad of colorful stars and distant galaxies in black space.
Happy birthday, Vera Rubin! 🥳✨
What better way to celebrate than with NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view of galaxies SHE studied?
NGC 4343, 4526, 4535, and 4378 are just a few gems from our Cosmic Treasure Chest. Explore them and more at skyviewer.app 🔭🧪
