--- title: "Astrophysicist Says Scientists Need to Stop Searching for Alien Civilizations" description: "Astrophysicist Paul Sutter, in a column for Space.com, says the search for alien civilizations has run its course -- and we need to think broader." date: "2021-11-09" modified: "2021-11-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astrophysicist-scientists-stop-searching-alien-civilizations" categories: - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "aliens" - "astrophysics" - "SETI" - "the digest" --- # Astrophysicist Says Scientists Need to Stop Searching for Alien Civilizations ![]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Still Searching It may be time for alien-enthusiastic scientists to call a spade a spade. So says SUNY Stony Brook astrophysicist Paul Sutter, who in [a new column for *Space.com*]() insists that the search for intelligent life among the stars has run its course — though, he argues, that doesn't mean we're alone in the universe either. "Humans have scanned and searched the heavens for signs of other advanced civilizations in the universe," Sutter wrote. "And we've found nothing. Absolutely nothing. So maybe we shouldn't be so focused on intelligent life, but on any sort of life whatsoever." ## Ready SETI Go The main idea behind the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), Sutter agued, is based on the theory that "intelligent life should be easier to detect than regular, non-intelligent life, because intelligent creatures are capable of really making their presence known." "But something in this argument is going wrong," Sutter said. "Either intelligent life isn't as common as we might have hoped, or it's not as detectable as we might have hoped. Either way, it doesn't look like SETI will bear fruit anytime soon." The only thing left to do, he said, is to make the search for signs of life in the sky broader, by taking into account biosignatures that could suggest less advanced life on distant worlds. "Our first evidence for life outside Earth will take the form of a wiggle in a line on a plot, telling us that living creatures have dramatically altered the equilibrium of their home planet," he said. "Non-intelligent life may not be as common as intelligent life (though, truth be told, we have no idea how common either is), but simple creatures are still capable of making themselves noticeable." And after all: an alien's an alien, no matter how small. **More on Paul Sutter:** [*Researcher: Passing Star Could Yeet Earth Out of Solar System*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()