Researchers hone in on 2 galaxies that may have intelligent alien life

A team of researchers has published a new paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society that details the hunt for hyper-intelligent alien life.

The team of researchers is looking for K3 lifeforms, which are lifeforms that meet the requirements of the Kardashev scale that Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev proposed in 1964. The Kardashev scale is a way to measure the level of technological advancement a civilization has achieved. For example, humans are currently sitting at a Type 1 civilization as we are yet to successfully harness the full power of our local star, the Sun.

For a civilization to be deemed a Type 3, or a K3 civilization, the lifeforms would be able to harness the power of a black hole, stars, and quasars - something humans aren't even close to being able to achieve (yet). The researchers believe that these advanced technologies, such as a Dyson sphere, would leave behind infrared emissions that can be detected with instruments here on Earth.

The team analyzed 21 galaxies and found evidence of increased infrared emissions that couldn't typically be explained, warranting further investigation, say the researchers. For more information on this story, check out this link here.