--- title: "Aliens May Be Creating Black Holes to Store Quantum Information, Scientists Say" description: "A team of researchers has proposed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations could be using black holes as quantum computers, Universe Today reports." date: "2023-02-16" modified: "2023-02-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/aliens-black-holes-quantum-scientists" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Black Holes" - "Physics" - "Quantum Physics" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "aliens" - "Black holes" - "quantum computers" --- # Aliens May Be Creating Black Holes to Store Quantum Information, Scientists Say ![A team of researchers has proposed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations could be using black holes as quantum computers, Universe Today reports.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* A team of researchers has proposed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations could be using black holes as quantum computers. As [*Universe Today* reports](), it's both a wild hypothesis and a potential solution to the Fermi paradox, which questions why we haven't found life in other parts of the universe yet. As detailed in a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed [paper](), a team of German and Georgian researchers suggests we're looking at the wrong signals in our search for extraterrestrial life (SETI). "Currently, we are mainly looking for radio messages, and there have been several attempts to study the sky for finding the so-called Dyson sphere candidates — megastructures built around stars," Gia Dvali, a theoretical physicist with the Max Planck Institute for Physics, and Zaza Osmanov, a professor of physics at the Free University of Tbilisi, Georgia, told *Universe Today*. "On the other hand, the problem of SETI is so complex that one should test all possible channels." The researchers suggest we should instead be looking for technosignatures emanating from potential megastructures built around other celestial objects, including pulsars, white dwarf stars, and black holes. To hone in on a new place to look for extraterrestrial life, the researchers suggest looking for large-scale quantum computing, which would allow aliens to process data at an astonishing pace — running games at the highest settings, perhaps, or maybe just mining crypto. And, as it turns out, black holes might be a great place to do just that. "No matter how advanced is a civilization or how different is their particle composition and chemistry from ours, we are unified by laws of quantum physics and gravity," Dvali and Osmanov told *Universe Today*. "These laws tell us that the most efficient storers of quantum information are black holes." The idea builds on a concept furthered by astrophysicist Roger Penrose, who [suggested in the 1980s]() that black holes could be a practically limitless source of energy. According to the researchers, small, artificially created black holes could act as capacitors for quantum information. Better yet, the researchers propose the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in the Antarctic could technically detect technosignatures from such black hole quantum computers thanks to the special kind of radiation they'd release. "However, this is just one potential example of a very exciting new direction for SETI," the researchers told *Universe Today*. In short, it's a tantalizing new theory: have we been looking for the wrong type of technosignatures all this time? Could a new search for radiation being emitted by artificial black holes lead us to a solution to the Fermi paradox? While there are no guarantees the researchers' proposal will lead to any more answers, it's certainly worth a look. **READ MORE:** [Physicists Say Aliens May Be Using Black Holes as Quantum Computers]() \[*Universe Today*\] **More on black holes:** *[Objects We Thought Were Black Holes May Actually Be Wormholes, Scientists Say]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()