SETI Institute In the News
This month at the SETI Institute brought exciting news about research and innovations that expand our understanding of the universe and bring us closer to answering one of humanity’s most enduring questions — Are we alone?
Dr. Franck Marchis discussed the anticipated nova explosion of T Coronae Borealis, while Dr. Seth Shostak reflected on whether alien civilizations might rely on fossil fuels. Dr. Peter Jenniskens traced meteorites back to their asteroid origins, helping to build a geologic map of the asteroid belt. Dr. Pascal Lee unveiled Nighthawk, a proposed Mars helicopter mission to explore rugged, water-rich terrain.
Meanwhile, the LaserSETI project expanded its search for alien laser signals from rooftops like Grammy-winner Richard Factor’s in Sedona, AZ. And artist Domenica Mediati was named the latest Beyond Silos STEAM Education Resident, combining art and astrobiology to inspire the next generation.
Nighthawk: A Proposed Mars Chopper Mission Over Glaciers And Canyons
A new Mars mission concept called Nighthawk could soon take flight and SETI Institute Senior Planetary Scientist Pascal Lee is helping to lead the charge. Presented at the 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, the proposed Nighthawk mission would be a next-generation helicopter exploring one of the most treacherous yet intriguing areas on Mars: Noctis Labyrinthus. Unlike Ingenuity, which relied on a nearby rover, Nighthawk would operate independently, soaring over deep canyons and rugged terrain with a suite of scientific instruments.
“This is exactly the kind of terrain a helicopter should be exploring,” said Lee. He and his team hope the chopper will search for signs of water near the equator and study Mars’ geological history in places rovers simply can’t reach.
Read the full article by Phys.org here: Nighthawk: A proposed Mars chopper mission over glaciers and canyons
Meteorites and Asteroids Tracked Back to Their Place of Origin in the Solar System
A decade-long cosmic investigation, led in part by SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist Peter Jenniskens, is yielding exciting results. Using the Global Fireball Observatory, Jenniskens and his team have successfully traced dozens of meteorites back to specific asteroid families in the main belt.
“We now have the first outlines of a geologic map of the asteroid belt,” Jenniskens said. One standout finding: twelve H chondrite meteorites were linked to the Koronis family, providing new insight into how ancient collisions shaped the solar system. And according to Jenniskens, this is just the beginning.
Read the full article by Space.com here: Meteorites and asteroids tracked back to their place of origin in the solar system
A Grammy-winner In Sedona is Using His Roof to Search For Alien Life
The SETI Institute’s LaserSETI project is using special instruments on rooftops—like the one at Grammy winner Richard Factor’s home in Sedona—to search for laser signals that might come from alien civilizations. Led by Eliot Gillum and Dr. Franck Marchis, the project is the first all-sky, all-the-time optical search for extraterrestrial life.
Unlike natural light, lasers emit a single wavelength, making them a possible sign of intelligent technology. LaserSETI is expanding globally and could soon cover the entire night sky, offering a powerful, low-cost, and transparent way to answer the age-old question: Are we alone?
Read the full article by ABC 10 here: A Grammy-winner in Sedona is using his roof to search for alien life
SETI Institute Unveils Winner of Beyond Silos STEAM Education Residency Program
The SETI Institute has announced Domenica Mediati as the winner of its Beyond Silos STEAM Education Residency. An intermedia artist and educator, Mediati will lead an 18-month project titled Cosmic Communities: Stories of Life Beyond Our World, blending bioart and digital animation to engage K–12 students with astrobiology. Her work seeks to bridge science and art, making microbiology and the search for life beyond Earth accessible and inspiring. SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget praised Mediati’s creative approach and strong alignment with the SETI Institute’s mission to foster interdisciplinary learning.
Read the full article by Scienmag here: SETI Institute Unveils Winner of Beyond Silos STEAM Education Residency Program
Scientists Say This Star Is Due to Explode Today, and You'll Be Able to See It with Your Bare Eyeballs
Dr. Franck Marchis, SETI Institute Senior Planetary Astronomer, weighed in on the much-anticipated nova explosion of T Coronae Borealis, a binary star system 3,000 light-years away. Scientists predict that this rare stellar eruption could occur as soon as Thursday, March 27, making it visible to the naked eye.
However, Marchis cautioned that while recent observations suggest the explosion is imminent, "its conclusions remain uncertain." If the nova does not happen on the predicted date, the next potential window is November 2025. As of this writing, T Coronae Borealis has not yet exploded.
Read the full article by Futurism here: Scientists Say This Star Is Due to Explode Today, and You'll Be Able to See It With Your Bare Eyeballs
Intelligent Aliens Would Need A Power Supply to Jump-Start Their Civilization — Would They Require Fossil Fuels?
Could aliens build a civilization without fossil fuels?
It's a tough question, and Seth Shostak, a Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, thinks our human perspective might limit the way we answer it. “It’s hard for us to predict what the aliens might do,” he told Live Science. “It’s like asking Julius Caesar what he thought the Romans would be doing with oil in 2025.” While we haven’t found fossil fuels in space, Shostak points out we have discovered their chemical building blocks like hydrogen and carbon. This suggests intelligent aliens could still find a way to harness energy, just not necessarily the way we did.
Read the full article by Live Science here: Intelligent aliens would need a power supply to jump-start their civilization — would they require fossil fuels?
