新奇事件簿科学家开始大规模搜寻外星人（打印版）

Is there life on other planets? Are we alone? These are two of the biggest questions humans have been asking for centuries.

其他星球有生命吗？只有我们吗？这是几个世纪以来人类提出的两个最大的问题。

Now, scientists have launched a new search to find out if there is... anybody... out there.

现在科学家们开始重新搜索，以查明其他星球是否存在生命。

The researchers are from the SETI Institute in California. SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

这些研究人员来自加利福尼亚州的SETI研究所。SETI是地外文明搜索的简称。

The mission of SETI is, "to explore, understand and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe and the evolution of intelligence".

SETI的任务是“探索、了解并解释宇宙生命的起源和本质以及智力的进化”。

SETI scientists will use new technologies to scan the heavens for signs of alien life. They will share their data with the public.

SETI科学家将利用新技术扫描太空，寻找外星生命的迹象。他们将公开分享他们的数据。

SETI hopes that by sharing data, "citizen scientists" could spot things missed by scientists.

SETI希望通过分享数据，“公民科学家”可以发现科学家们漏掉的东西。

SETI's astronomers will use 28 giant radio telescopes in their search for alien life.

SETI的天文学家将使用28个巨型射电望远镜寻找外星生命。

The telescopes are located all around the world. It will be the first time that a project will search the entire sky for signs of alien life.

这些望远镜分布在世界各地。这将是第一次，一个项目将搜索整个天空，寻找外星生命的迹象。

The signs they are looking for are called "techno-signatures".

他们所寻找的迹象被称为“技术指纹”。

These include things like alien chemicals, large amounts of oxygen, non-natural structures, and light from lasers.

这些包括外来化学物质、大量氧气、非天然结构以及激光发出的光。

Astronomer Dr Tony Beasley said: "Determining whether we are alone in the universe as technologically capable life

天文学家，Tony Beasley博士说到：“科学中最引人注目的问题之一是，

is among the most compelling questions in science."

确定我们是否在宇宙中是唯一具有技术能力的生命。”

Another scientist, Jill Tarter, said we are getting closer to finding out if alien life exists.

另一名科学家Jill Tarter表示我们离发现外星生命是否存在越来越近了。

She said this science is now no longer fiction, but "almost mainstream".

她说，科学现在不再是虚构的，而“几乎是主流”。