High-intensity beams, not whispers: Study suggests aliens might send strong signals

A new study led by Benjamin Zuckerman argues advanced civilizations would likely use tightly focused, high-intensity beams rather than weak isotropic broadcasts.

That means alien signals could be much easier to detect if Earth happens to lie in the beam, with direction and wavelength mattering more than raw transmitter power.

The authors say the lack of detections may constrain how many nearby civilizations exist, rather than proving extraterrestrial intelligence is absent.

The work challenges long-standing SETI assumptions and suggests current surveys may have missed strong, targeted technosignatures.