The search for alien life has tended to focus on looking for either signs of extraterrestrial technology or evidence of biological processes on other worlds. But new and ongoing research suggests that scientists should start considering signs of intelligence that are not necessarily technological, but which are sufficiently complex as to be evidence of a conscious mind at work.
Biosignatures are possible signs of biology on other planets, whereas technosignatures are clues to the presence of advanced technology that might be detectable across light-years. What, though, of everything that comes between these two extremes? How do we detect life that is more complex than simple microbes and which displays intelligence that is not highly technological?
This is where the field of noosemiotics comes in, says Julia DeMarines, an American astrobiologist who has been involved in both biosignature and technosignature research. "We want to figure out if we can detect signatures of intelligence that occur before the invention of radio communication," DeMarines told Space.com. "We're looking at the ways that mind can be imprinted on matter."
English (US)