Prior efforts to find evidence of extraterrestrial technology have focused on single odd broadcasts or narrowband radio signals concentrated in a small frequency range. On Wednesday, scientists announced a new programme that focuses on a distinct signal type that may one day allow evolved civilizations to communicate over the enormous expanses of interstellar space.

These repeated patterns in the wideband pulsing signals that the scientists are observing consist of a sequence of pulses that repeat every 11 to 100 seconds and are dispersed throughout a few kilohertz, much like the pulses used in radar transmission. The frequency range used for the search is a little less than a tenth of the breadth of a typical FM radio station.

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