OZ SETI on the ball?

Left: Dr Ragbir Bhathal

It warmed our little hearts to read an article in todays Australian newspaper about OZ OSETI (o for optical) and the opinions of various Australian astrophysicists on the search for ETs. Ragbir Bhathal, an astrophysicist at the University of Western Sydney, who teaches the only university-based course on SETI in Australia, went on record stating that "for an advanced civilisation, radio wave technology would be old hat". He also waved a red flag in the face of Shostakian views adding, “our failure to pick up any interstellar signals so far could mean that advanced civilisations are using a communications technique still not discovered on Earth.”

He further suggested that, “we are nowhere near being able to put a sensible figure on how common life may be". Ah, the sweet sound of humility and an open mind. Be still our beating hearts.

On the other hand, Ain de Horta, a project scientist with the Australian SETI Institute, proposed that “we're counting on the physics being the same elsewhere in the universe”, and spouted the usual Shostakian view that there are “UFO nuts out there”. Well, we may be a little nutty but we’re certainly not out there. However we feel we can forgive de Horta today (having a warm and fuzzy moment) because while he’s rubbing intellectual shoulders with the likes of Ragbir Bhathal, we feel certain that the chip on his shoulder will be worn away sometime in the future.

Let there be light.

Full story at http://tinyurl.com/owfu7k