2026-03-27 17:10:35
Signals from extraterrestrial life may have gone undetected because they are being distorted by the environments of distant star systems.
Astronomer Vishal Gajjar from the SETI Institute led a new study examining how so-called technosignatures – radio signals potentially sent by intelligent alien life – could be altered before they reach Earth.
For decades, scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence have focused on detecting extremely narrowband radio signals, which are unlikely to occur naturally.
However, the research suggests activity from nearby stars may broaden these signals, spreading them across multiple frequencies and making them harder to detect with existing methods.
The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Speaking about the study, Vishal said: “SETI searches are often optimized for extremely narrow signals. “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.”
A research team analysed how radio signals behave by studying transmissions from spacecraft within our own solar system.
This allowed them to model how signals might be affected by stellar conditions closer to their source, rather than solely during their journey across interstellar space – an area that has traditionally received more attention from astronomers.
Grayce C Brown, a research assistant and co-author of the study, said: “By quantifying how stellar activity can reshape narrowband signals, we can design searches that are better matched to what actually arrives at Earth, not just what might be transmitted.”
The findings indicate that solar activity, often referred to as space weather, could play a significant role in masking potential evidence of extraterrestrial communication.
While scientists have long accounted for distortions that occur over vast interstellar distances, the study highlights the importance of considering interference within alien star systems themselves.
Researchers developed a framework to better understand how signals become distorted, with the aim of improving future search strategies.
By refining detection methods to account for these effects, scientists hope to increase the chances of identifying technosignatures that may previously have gone unnoticed.
The study, titled Exo–IPM Scattering as a Hidden Gatekeeper of Narrowband Technosignatures, forms part of ongoing efforts to refine how scientists search for evidence of life beyond Earth, as interest in extraterrestrial detection continues to grow.
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