Is there life beyond Earth? For years, scientists have argued that it’s very likely that we are not alone in this vast Universe.

Pointing to the number of potentially habitable planets, the abundance of life’s elemental building blocks and the sheer age and size of the cosmos, it seems impossible that life couldn’t exist elsewhere.

Even so, we have yet to see any sign of life beyond our Blue Planet.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), however, is ongoing and has captured the imagination of the general public.

One non-profit organisation, the SETI Institute, is at its forefront, bringing together scientists from different disciplines to understand the origins and potential existence of life in our Universe.

Some of those scientists, like Dr Vishal Gajjar, are actively searching for life, looking for its signals all across the Milky Way.

We sat down with him to talk about how he searches for signatures of technology from alien civilisations.

What kind of signatures are you searching for from aliens?
I am looking for evidence of technosignatures, the signs of a more technologically advanced lifeform.

We don’t consider ourselves separate from people looking for biological activity of any kind, but instead as a kind of extension to that process.

While the search for biological signatures can begin in the nearby Solar System, when you’re looking for more advanced life, that allows you to search a much bigger region of space.

Read More: I’m very optimistic there’s life out there