--- title: "SETI Institute Scientist Says We’ll Find Aliens by 2036" description: "SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak is willing to bet you a cup of joe that we will find aliens by 2036, The Debrief reports." date: "2020-11-30" modified: "2020-11-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/seti-institute-scientist-says-well-find-aliens-by-2036" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "alien life" - "alien signals" - "SETI" - "seti institute" - "the digest" --- # SETI Institute Scientist Says We’ll Find Aliens by 2036 ![SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak is willing to bet you a cup of joe that we will find aliens by 2036, The Debrief reports.]() *\Image: SETI Institute\* ## Betting on Aliens Just-launched media venture *The Debrief* already has a [eyebrow-raising scoop](): Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak is willing to bet you a cup of joe that we'll find aliens by 2036. According to Shostak, as the processing power of computers tasked to listen to distant signals from the cosmos doubles every two years or so, computers will be able to monitor more and more channels on which extraterrestrials might be communicating. "SETI doubles in speed roughly every two years because the speed is largely dependent on computers," the astrophysicist told *The Debrief* in an interview. "So just follow Moore’s Law, and you know, I bet everybody a cup of Starbucks that we’ll find something by 2036." ## Tuning In Contrary to popular belief, it's computers — not humans — listening to these signals. "We don’t sit in front of the computers and look at the data," Shostak explained *The Debrief*. "That would be kind of like watching millions of TV channels at the same time." And by 2036, the SETI institute's computers will have improved enough for astronomers to "have looked at about a million star systems," according to Shostak, "and it’s my gut that says a million is the right number to find something." Shostak also pointed at the discovery of countless new exoplanets, which he opined allow us to gain new perspectives on what kind of lifeforms may possibly be out there. **READ MORE:** [SETI Astronomer Bets You a Cup of Coffee That We Find Aliens By 2036]() \[*The Debrief*\] **More on aliens:** *[Mystery “Monolith” Disappears From Utah Desert]() \[lolol\]* ## 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]()