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International SETI Launches New Detection Scale
Little Ferry - Oct 23, 2002 A new scale designed to give the public an expert view of any claimed detection of extraterrestrial intelligence has been launched today by the International Academy of Astronautics' Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Permanent Study Group at the World Space Congress in Houston. The Rio Scale was initiated by Drs. Ivan Almar of Hungary and Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute in California to give the media and the public an idea of the credibility and importance -- as determined by a panel of SETI scientists -- of any claim that intelligence elsewhere in the universe has been detected. To demonstrate the Rio Scale, Dr. Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute and Almar have authored a paper for the World Space Congress assessing fictional and past non-fictional SETI events. From the realm of fiction they include the films Contact, The Arrival, Independence Day, The Sphere and 2001: A Space Odyssey and books including The Listeners, The Sparrow and The Coming. The non-fiction claims include the "face on Mars" and a SETI hoax involving the star EQ Peg. So what Rio Scale rating would they get? The scale runs from zero (for non-credible claims of detection) to ten (for a completely reliable detection.) The SETI type detection in the movie Contact gets high marks near 10 because of the confirmations by telescopes around the world. On the other hand a claim of a real detection in the EQ Peg hoax reaches only 3-4 on the scale during the claim, dropping to zero when a large radio telescope proves the signal is false. "Hollywood has been rather inventive about scenarios involving contact with extraterrestrial societies, and their stories are well known," says Shostak. "Some of these films make good 'lab rats' for testing out the Rio Scale, and testing is definitely desirable. After all, if SETI researchers picks up a signal, it will be very useful to have a scheme in place for assessing the importance and reliability of the discovery." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Rio Scale SETI League SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Life Beyond Earth Lands Beyond Beyond - extra solar planets - news and science
SETI Sets Its Sights On M Dwarfs
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 18, 2005Scientists have been searching actively for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations for nearly half a century. Their main approach has been to point radio telescopes toward target stars and to "listen" for electronic transmissions from other worlds. |
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