Mumbai, May 05: Our mobile phone towers might be the beacons that give Earthlings away to intelligent extraterrestrials looking for other evolved lifeforms in the galaxy. According to recent findings, powerful extraterrestrial civilizations in surrounding star systems are likely already capable of detecting radio signals coming from cell phone towers. And when the strength of these signals increases, the signature of humans will be easier to spot throughout the cosmos.

According to Mike Garrett, the director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, the Earth is already unusually bright in the radio portion of the spectrum, and if the trend continues, we could become easily observable by any advanced civilization with the right technology. Are Aliens Trying to Contact Earth? Scientists Inspecting After Detecting 25 Mysterious ‘Fast Radio Bursts’ From Outer Space.

What Does the Research Tell Us?

The latest research was headed by Garrett and was released in February in the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society." The scientists tested the difficulty of detecting radio signals from other planets by simulating the leaking of radio signals from cell phone towers using crowd-sourced data.

The researchers discovered that the planet's radio leakage from mobile phone towers, satellite communications, and internet transmissions is one of several indications of highly evolved life. The researchers claimed that these signals may be picked up by hypothetical civilizations residing around neighbouring stars, such as Barnard's star, a red dwarf star 6 light-years away that may be home to a massive planet similar to Earth.

Threat From Radio Emissions

On Earth, a portion of the entire volume of radio transmissions also escapes into outer space. According to Sciencealert, the majority of the radio emissions from Earth still consist of waves from military radar. The second place has been quickly taken over by cell power networks.

Apparently, each cell tower transmits radio signals with a strong range of 100 to 200 Watts. It may be argued that radio signals totalling a few gigawatts are blasted into space due to the enormous number of mobile towers on the earth. Aliens Landing on Earth? Mysterious UFO-Shaped Cloud Hovers Over Southern California, Spooking Onlookers! (See Pic).

The radio leakage from the Earth can be picked up in around a dozen light-years if we assume that an extraterrestrial civilization possesses radio astronomy technology that is relatively competent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).