The search for other beings in our universe has captivated man for generations. Contact, a recent Jodi Foster film, gave a realistic portrayal of how radio astronomers search for narrow-bandwidth radio signals to find possible life in outer space.
Radio waves are able to penetrate interstellar dust clouds.
Narrow-bandwidth signals are not found in nature, so researchers scan the universe looking for these types of signals, hoping they will lead to another civilization. Now, for the first time ever, computer users from around the world will be able to use their personal computers to participate in a grand scientific experiment that searches the universe for intelligent life. SETI is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Each participant will have the slight but captivating possibility that his or her computer will detect the faint murmur of life in the depths of outer space. When the computer is idle, the software will analyze the data.