Latest news with #KardashevScale
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Aliens Might Be Talking, but Our Ears Aren't Quantum Enough to Hear Them, a Scientist Says
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: For 75 years, scientists have consistently pondered the Fermi Paradox, which asks why we don't hear from other civilizations when there are so many Earth-like worlds in the galaxy. A recent study analyzes whether these civilizations might be using quantum communication technologies beyond our own, which could explain why we don't 'hear' them. Although interstellar quantum communication is possible, the technology to detect such communications is still far from our reach. In 1950, Enrico Fermi asked the question that all of us have likely pondered at some point in our lives: Where are all of the aliens? He wasn't the first to consider this question—Soviet sci-fi legend Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, for one, asked a similar query in some of his unpublished manuscripts—and he certainly wouldn't be the last. If anything, the question has accumulated ever greater urgency as astronomers have slowly realized that there are likely billions of Earth-like planets in our galaxy alone, and we're discovering more tantalizing, potentially-life-supporting planetary candidates all the time. This 'Fermi Paradox' has spawned dozens of theories, ideas, and hypotheses in the 75 years since. Maybe a 'Great Filter' lies in our distant past—the unlikely development of eukaryotic cells is a compelling candidate—or maybe (and this is the real bummer) it still lies ahead in our future. Are the aliens just not interested? A galaxy-spanning intelligence scoring a solid 'III' on the Kardashev Scale would likely be indifferent about a sub-I species intent on poisoning its own atmosphere. In other words, maybe we're an ant among giants. Or, maybe more simply, aliens are reaching out to us, but we're just not listening—not in the right way, at least. In a study published back in 2020 in the journal Physical Review D, University of Edinburgh physicist Arjun Berera determined that quantum communication—that is, communication that leverages photon qubits rather than the more classical radio waves we use today—could maintain what's known as coherence over interstellar distances. This idea got Berera's colleague Lantham Boyle, a fellow theoretical physicist at the University of Edinburgh, to start pondering if aliens throughout our galaxy (and beyond) could be using communication technologies outside of the classical realm (specifically quantum communication) that we simply can't hear. 'It's interesting that our galaxy (and the sea of cosmic background radiation in which it's embedded) 'does' permit interstellar quantum communication in certain frequency bands,' Boyle told back in September. This curiosity eventually led to the writing of a paper, which has been uploaded to the pre-print server arXiv, titled 'On Interstellar Quantum Communication and the Fermi Paradox.' In the paper, Boyle sets out to determine if an institute like the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) could somehow incorporate quantum communication detection as part of their never-ending search for interstellar beings. While the answer to that question is technically yes, it's practically a very strong, no-bones-about-it 'no.' The problem is the size of the dish we'd need to construct in order to hear this quantum convo. For example, Boyle calculated that interstellar quantum communication would need to use wavelengths of at least 26.5 centimeters in order to avoid quantum depolarization due to the cosmic microwave background (CMB). That's all well and good, but that means that to communicate quantumly with Alpha Centauri—the nearest star to our own—we'd need a diffraction-limited telescope with a diameter of roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles), which is an area larger than the city of London. To put it mildly, SETI doesn't have that kind of budget. 'We have seen that the sender must place nearly all of their photons into our receiving telescope, which implies that the signal must be so highly directed that only the intended receiving telescope can hope to detect any sign of the communication,' Boyle wrote. 'This is in sharp contrast to classical communication, where one can broadcast photons indiscriminately into space, and an observer in any direction who detects a small fraction of those photons can still receive the message.' Of course, if such an advanced civilization is capable of overcoming these engineering challenges, it's also likely that they could just glimpse our little corner of the cosmos and know we're not technologically equipped to hear what they're sending. So, who knows? Maybe some silicon-based lifeforms orbiting a M-type star in the Large Magellanic Cloud have a regular quantum correspondence with the reigning Kardashev III civilization in Andromeda all about the peculiar apes on one particular spiral arm of the Milky Way that won't return their calls. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Elon Musk discusses human evolution and energy needs: ‘What I'm saying is…'
Elon Musk has shared his perspective regarding the immense energy harnessing potential that could become available to advanced civilizations in the long term. His contemplation of future energy needs is particularly relevant as the rapid growth of technology today is fueling a constantly rising demand for energy to operate vast digital and physical systems. Musk, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), made a reference to the theoretical Kardashev Scale , introduced by Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. What is Kardashev Scale that Elon Musk is talking about The Kardashev Scale classifies civilisations by energy use. A Type I civilization can harness all the energy available on its home planet, a Type II can harness all the energy of its star, and a Type III can harness all the energy of its galaxy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn How Smart Traders Use Data to Navigate Volatile Markets News Portal Try Now Undo In his post, Musk projected significant increases in energy harnessing as humanity progresses along this scale. He stated that as we approach a Type I civilization level on Earth, "energy harnessed on Earth will increase a hundredfold and will mostly be solar aka fusion aka starlight." 'Then energy harnessed will increase perhaps a billionfold if we make it to Kardashev II, with space solar power, and another billionfold if we harness the energy of our galaxy,' Musk added. 'What I'm saying is that there is a lot of upside potential!!!' he explained. Musk, who is also the founder of SpaceX , often discusses themes related to the long-term future of human civilisation, space exploration, and technological advancement, framing energy harnessing on a cosmic scale as a key aspect of future progress. He has been a staunch supporter of establishing human colonies on Mars and has said that humans will soon be able to travel to the Red Planet.
Shafaq News
16-03-2025
- Science
- Shafaq News
Elon Musk: Solar energy key to solving power crisis
Shafaq News/ Solar energy is seen as the key solution to global energy challenges. This vision is linked to the Kardashev Scale, which measures a civilization's technological progress based on energy consumption. The Kardashev Scale was developed in 1964 by Soviet astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev, categorizing civilizations into three main types: Type I (planetary civilization), Type II (stellar civilization), and Type III (galactic civilization), according to India Today. Musk noted that humanity has only reached 0.73 on this scale. According to Musk, fully harnessing Earth's available energy would be among humanity's greatest achievements, explaining that this milestone is inevitable with the right technological advancements. His proposed system relies on cutting-edge solar energy technology to build an extensive, interconnected power network. To capture sunlight more efficiently than existing ground-based solar panels, a vast array of solar satellites or orbital reflectors would be deployed.
