Skip to main content

How big data forced the hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence to evolve

The hunt for intelligent life beyond Earth began as a niche field, with just a handful of researchers who scrambled to get the access to telescopes that they needed for their search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). But in the last decade, spurred by the discovery of over 4,000 planets outside of our solar system, interest in the topic has exploded.

With more universities and research institutions getting involved in SETI, there are more telescopes than ever looking for direct or indirect technosignatures, which are indicators of technology such as the presence of radio waves. And Moore’s Law of increasing computer power means more and more data can be gathered, enabling the search of both a wider portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and a larger area of the sky.

Recommended Videos

With more data than ever on distant systems and the potential for life there, we spoke to Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center and the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute, about the leaps and bounds in the field of SETI enabled by new technologies and the rise of Big Data.

The Allen Telescope Array, which collects data for SETI Seth Shostak/SETI Institute

More data is a boon to researchers, but large amounts of data require large amounts of analysis. SETI has often made use of cutting edge technologies and approaches to fuel its ambitious search, and researchers have embraced the public’s interest in the topic to recruit them as citizen scientists. Citizen scientists have contributed to major findings in the field such as identifying Tabby’s Star from Kepler telescope data, a star with unusually fluctuating brightness which some theorized could be due to the presence of a civilization there.

“SETI is a remarkable draw for people,” Siemion said. “Anyone who looks up at the sky asks the question, ‘Is there anybody out there?’ That’s a very natural, very human question to ask. The scientists who work in this field have the same innate curiosity about the universe as the general public does. It’s a great draw and a great way to get people interested [in science].”

In 1999, the SETI@home project invited the public to contribute computing resources to the analysis of SETI data in one of the earliest distributed computing projects. This approach has now been expanded to other fields such as modeling parts of our galaxy and searching for gravitational waves, and distributed computing is even being used to search for a treatment for COVID-19.

The SETI@home project set a new standard for citizen science and engaging the public in astronomy research, however, the project was shut down this year after 20 years of analyzing data. One of the reasons for this bittersweet closing of the project was, counter-intuitively, that there is now actually too much data to comb through. Telescopes generate more data than ever and are usually in remote locations with internet connections no fast than a gigabit per second. The logistics of distributing data over such connections made the project inefficient.

“The telescopes are now capable of producing so much data that it’s not possible to get that volume of data out to volunteers,” Siemion explained. “The discovery space is in these massive, massive data streams. And it’s just not efficient to distribute many terabits per second out to volunteers all over the world. It’s more efficient for that data processing to happen at the actual observatory.”

The Allen Telescope Array as seen from the air
The Allen Telescope Array as seen from the air Seth Shostak/SETI Institute

Now, instead of distributed computing projects, one area that SETI scientists want to include the public in is supervised machine learning, in which people are asked to identify or group features in images using a website they can access from home. Citizen scientists are currently participating in similar projects to analyze light pollution or to find driving routes for rovers on Mars.

This approach could be useful in SETI too, as Siemion described: “How can we leverage human beings’ natural ability to identify clusters of features in images, for example?” This could involve asking the public to analyze images of the sky, or getting them to analyze spectrograms, which are visual representations of radio telescope data. Having SETI data labeled or categorized means it can be analyzed much more efficiently.

However, one of the challenges in recruiting the public for SETI is that the kinds of analysis which are done often require highly specialized knowledge. Not everyone has the skills to analyze complex data or to create software. Fortunately, citizen scientists come in many different forms, from the casual member of the public who has just heard about an astronomy finding in the news and would like to help for a few hours, to someone who has a job such as a machine learning engineer and wants to volunteer their skills to contribute to a software project.

There’s value in getting contributions from all of these people with their different skill sets. “We try to address the citizen scientists at many different levels,” Siemion said. “We try to find something for everybody, so that there are ways for lots of different people with lots of different experience levels and technical expertise to engage in the projects that we have.”

Berkeley SETI, Breakthrough Listen, the SETI Institute, and the GNU Radio community collaborated to host a hackathon at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California. Nathan West

Interest in SETI can be used to bring the public into science as well. A recent collaboration between the SETI Institute and the open-source software project GNU Radio aims to give people the opportunity to learn about radio engineering, digital signal processing, and radio astronomy. By purchasing a dongle for around $25, members of the public can digitize analog radio signals and process signals on their computers.

“GNU Radio is very interesting because these devices are very inexpensive and through experimenting with software-defined radio, people can develop a lot of very important skills for the kinds of work we do, particularly in radio SETI,” Siemion said. “For all intents and purposes, these [dongles] are a micro version of the million-dollar digital computing systems that we attach to radio telescopes.”

This kind of collaboration not only teaches people about science and engineering, but it also broadens the pool of expertise around radio engineering, which can feed back into new techniques and knowledge which will help SETI projects in the future.

Hackathon group in front of ATA dishes
Hackathon group in front of ATA dishes Arash Roshanineshat

Siemion says he’s given hope for the bright future of SETI indicated by the recent finding of a potential biomarker for life on Venus. “It’s still just a hint, the phosphene detection, but it’s a beautiful hint,” Siemion said.

“It’s incredibly exciting and heartening to see discoveries like this, and very motivating. Just as the discovery of the ubiquity of extrasolar planets has motivated the search for life, I think that the discovery of a biosignature will take things to another level yet.”

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
EVs top gas cars in German reliability report — but one weak spot won’t quit
future electric cars 2021 volkswagen id4 official 32

Electric vehicles are quietly crushing old stereotypes about being delicate or unreliable, and the data now backs it up in a big way. According to Germany’s ADAC — Europe’s largest roadside assistance provider — EVs are actually more reliable than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. And this isn’t just a small study — it’s based on a staggering 3.6 million breakdowns in 2024 alone.
For cars registered between 2020 and 2022, EVs averaged just 4.2 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles, while ICE cars saw more than double that, at 10.4 per 1,000. Even with more EVs hitting the road, they only accounted for 1.2% of total breakdowns — a big win for the battery-powered crowd.
Among standout performers, some cars delivered exceptionally low breakdown rates. The Audi A4 clocked in at just 0.4 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles for 2022 models, with Tesla’s Model 3 right behind at 0.5. The Volkswagen ID.4, another popular EV, also impressed with a rate of 1.0 – as did the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross at 1.3. On the flip side, there were some major outliers: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 showed a surprisingly high 22.4 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles for its 2022 models, while the hybrid Toyota RAV4 posted 18.4.
Interestingly, the most common issue for both EVs and ICE vehicles was exactly the same: the humble 12-volt battery. Despite all the futuristic tech in EVs, it’s this old-school component that causes 50% of all EV breakdowns, and 45% for gas-powered cars. Meanwhile, EVs shine in categories like engine management and electrical systems — areas where traditional engines are more complex and failure-prone.
But EVs aren’t completely flawless. They had a slightly higher rate of tire-related issues — 1.3 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles compared to 0.9 for ICE cars. That could be due to their heavier weight and high torque, which can accelerate tire wear. Still, this trend is fading in newer EVs as tire tech and vehicle calibration improve.
Now, zooming out beyond Germany: a 2024 Consumer Reports study in the U.S. painted a different picture. It found that EVs, especially newer models, had more reliability issues than gas cars, citing tech glitches and inconsistent build quality. But it’s worth noting that the American data focused more on owner-reported problems, not just roadside breakdowns.
So, while the long-term story is still developing, especially for older EVs, Germany’s data suggests that when it comes to simply keeping you on the road, EVs are pulling ahead — quietly, efficiently, and with far fewer breakdowns than you might expect.

Read more
You can now lease a Hyundai EV on Amazon—and snag that $7,500 tax credit
amazon autos hyundai evs lease ioniq 6 n line seoul mobility show 2025 mk08

Amazon has changed how we shop for just about everything—from books to furniture to groceries. Now, it’s transforming the way we lease cars. Through Amazon Autos, you can now lease a brand-new Hyundai entirely online—and even better, you’ll qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit if you choose an electric model like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, or Kona EV.
Here’s why that matters: As of January 2025, Hyundai’s EVs no longer qualify for the tax credit if you buy them outright, due to strict federal rules about battery sourcing and final assembly. But when you lease, the vehicle is technically owned by the leasing company (Hyundai Capital), which allows it to be classified as a “commercial vehicle” under U.S. tax law—making it eligible for the credit. That savings is typically passed on to you in the form of lower lease payments.
With Amazon’s new setup, you can browse Hyundai’s EV inventory, secure financing, trade in your current vehicle, and schedule a pickup—all without leaving the Amazon ecosystem.
It’s available in 68 markets across the U.S., and pricing is fully transparent—no hidden fees or haggling. While Hyundai is so far the only automaker fully participating, more are expected to join over time.
Pioneered by the likes of Tesla, purchasing or leasing vehicles online has been a growing trend since the Covid pandemic.
A 2024 study by iVendi found that 74% of car buyers expect to use some form of online process for their next purchase. In fact, 75% said online buying met or exceeded expectations, with convenience and access to information cited as top reasons. The 2024 EY Mobility Consumer Index echoed this trend, reporting that 25% of consumers now plan to buy their next vehicle online—up from 18% in 2021. Even among those who still prefer to finalize the purchase at a dealership, 87% use online tools for research beforehand.
Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study reveals that while 86% of U.S. consumers still want to test-drive a vehicle in person, digital tools are now a critical part of the buying journey.
Bottom line? Amazon is making it easier than ever to lease an EV and claim that tax credit—without the dealership hassle. If you're ready to plug in, it might be time to add to cart.

Read more
Humanoid robots race against humans at unique half-marathon in China
A humanoid robot running in a half marathon.

You may have seen robots dancing like the music icon Mick Jagger, doing parkour, or even painting on a canvas. Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot is eagerly anticipated, while Google and Meta are also planning to enter the field. The competition in the East, however, is on a different level altogether.

China just put humanoid robots to the test in the world’s first race of its kind, where they ran alongside humans in a half-marathon. A total of 21 robots lined up for the event in the Yizhuang half-marathon, following a long spell of supervised learning on roads. 

Read more