--- title: "Mysterious Signals From Space Are Getting Stranger, Scientists Say" description: "While can still only hazard a guess as to what's behind fast radio bursts, the latest detection is only adding to the mystery." date: "2023-12-16" modified: "2023-12-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mysterious-signals-frbs" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "fast radio bursts" - "FRBs" - "magnetars" - "SETI" - "the digest" --- # Mysterious Signals From Space Are Getting Stranger, Scientists Say ![While can still only hazard a guess as to what's behind fast radio bursts, the latest detection is only adding to the mystery.]() *\Image: SETI / Futurism\* ## Blipped Out Ever since the first fast radio burst was discovered in 2007, scientists have been racing to understand the unusual flashes of radio waves emanating from extremely distant locations. Some of these signals blip at [astonishingly regular intervals](), while some blast out extremely powerful flashes all at once, lighting up ground-based radio dishes like a Christmas tree for mere milliseconds. Some FRBs emit as much energy in a fraction of a second as the Sun does in a [few days](). One signal that astonished astronomers earlier this year had been [pulsing every 20 minutes]() since at least 1988. And while scientists can still only hazard a guess as to what's behind them, the latest fast radio burst that was just discovered is only adding to the mystery — and highlighting just how much we still have to learn about the celestial phenomenon. ## Ready SETI Go As detailed in a [new study]() published in the *Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society this week*, researchers spotted a "never-before-seen" burst dubbed FRB 20220912A using the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array, a collection of 42 antennae stretching out across the Cascade Mountains in California. Over two months, the team detected 35 bursts from a single source. Unlike previous FRBs that repeated over time, the team noticed that the signal dropped in the center frequency of the bursts, kind of like a "celestial slide whistle," as [*CNN* put it](). Despite their best efforts, the team wasn't able to detect a regular timing between each of the bursts. Strange as that is, the findings could still help scientists get a better sense of where to look for more signals like it. "This work is exciting because it provides both confirmation of known FRB properties and the discovery of some new ones," said SETI Institute researcher and lead study author Sofia Sheikh in a [statement](). Scientists are still hunting for a source behind these FRBs. One popular theory that some have since put forth is that these signals could be [released by the extremely magnetized remains]() of a collapsed star that might be emitting these radio waves like a cosmic lighthouse. "We’re narrowing down the source of FRBs, for example, to extreme objects such as magnetars, but no existing model can explain all of the properties that have been observed so far," Sheikh added. **More on FRBs:** *[Scientists Intercept Signal That Took 8 Billion Years to Reach Earth]()* ## 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]()