SETI receives $3.5M funding boost

Posted on Thursday, 15 November, 2012 | Comment icon

Image credit: Hajor, Wikimedia

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence has received a sizeable donation to upgrade its antennas.

It wasn't long ago that SETI's days appeared to be numbered due to a lack of funding, but now thanks to an increase in donations and support things seem to be going a lot better. The $3.5 million donation was given by chief Franklin Antonio of San Diego-based Qualcomm and will be used to help double the sensitivity of the antenna feed from the 350 strong Allen Telescope Array. SETI is also looking to go one step further and solicit a further $1M in a new fund raising campaign.

"Donations will help support our scientists to make a difference in the world," said SETI co-founder Jill Tarter. "People who value creativity, education and technology support SETI Institute’s mission."

A co-founder and chief scientist of San Diego-based Qualcomm donated $3. 5 million to improve the search for life on other planets, the SETI Institute announced Wednesday.

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Source: Fox 5 San Diego

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Recent comments on this story

#79 Posted by 747400 on 14 December, 2012, 8:18

NASA know everything already? Or the Governments do? Why should finding another advanced race in, say, Alpha Centauri necessarily screw the world royally?

#80 Posted by kampz on 14 December, 2012, 9:51

Select Governments and what's higher then that probably know everything or most. Well the general idea of Aliens that fly around in UFO's already has them being to advanced. People who follow religion and evolution will be confused. People will complain that they have been abducting them and implanting things inside and ruining crops. They will complain that they can just invade us whenever. There's no such thing of jokes really involving them because people will be afraid. Riots will happen and you have no idea what they're going to say... What if they say evolution cracks th... [More]

#81 Posted by 747400 on 14 December, 2012, 10:54

That's an interesting notion. So you're saying that proof of Extraterrestrial intelligence would not only embarrass religion, but Evolution also? Well, I'll have to leave it to those who believe in Evolution (*) to be able to talk about it in more depth, but the theory, as it stands now, refers to conditions aplying on Earth, to creatures on Earth, does it not? So might not the same processes and principles apply on other planets, only the lifeforms to which ti applies and the ways in which they evolve might differ? (* ) Actually this is quite an interesting notion as well... [More]

#82 Posted by mcrom901 on 14 December, 2012, 17:36

#83 Posted by kampz on 15 December, 2012, 23:51

It could embarrass the evolutionist, but not people who follow religion or vice versa. I wouldn't care. It shouldn't hurt them but I would think some would be. In my opinion they fit together slightly along with the Ancient Astronaut theory that points interesting things out. Jobs appear to be in jeopardy. It's our fault. I think? I don't know to much about evolution anymore. I would leave it up to them to discuss too. I guess it would refer to the conditions applying on Earth and it's creatures. Why wouldn't the same creatures on Earth exist on the E.T. planet? I g... [More]

#84 Posted by MindfieldzX on 5 January, 2013, 9:17

Let's not forget the fact that SETI@HOME has about 2,500Terraflops + of DONATED processing power. I'm one of those individuals. http://www.gridrepublic.org/index.php?page=stats

#85 Posted by The Silver Thong on 5 January, 2013, 9:34

Beats the cost of the flu shot this year as that was a miss.

#86 Posted by bison on 5 January, 2013, 17:29

So am I. The money donated to the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array will be used to improve the sensitivity of the receivers, not for computing power. The ATA also has a volunteer program. Thousands go online to look for and report possible SETI signals, after doing a tutorial on just what to look for. Computers process the reports. but the searching itself is done by human eyes and brains. The ATA is examining stars that have or are believed to have planets orbiting them, thus increasing their chances of success. The list of stars comes from the Kepler Space Telescope and other e... [More]

#87 Posted by Babe Ruth on 5 January, 2013, 19:55

I can't help but wonder about a situation in which one part of the government is aware that another part of the government is practicing a ruse? What are the ethical implications? As the government suppresses any information about UFO or visitation, another part goes through this charade about listening for them on radio waves, and it costs money for that charade.

#88 Posted by bison on 5 January, 2013, 22:42

The (U.S.) government doesn't listen for SETI signals, as far as we know. SETI@Home, and the SETI Institute, two separate private organizations, are funded by donations from businesses, individuals, and a contract to track satellites.

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