METI International, known simply as METI, is a non-profit research organization founded in July 2015 by Douglas Vakoch^[1] that creates and transmits interstellar messages to attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} It is based in San Francisco, California.^[3][6]

Overview

METI targets nearby stars and researches the nature of the messages to send.^[1][9] On October 16, 17, and 18, 2017, it sent a message consisting of a scientific and mathematical tutorial to the red dwarf Luyten's Star, just over 12 light years from Earth.^[10][11][12] The message was sent from a radio transmitter at the EISCAT research facility in Tromsø, Norway.^[13] One of METI's missions is to examine people's views of transmitting interstellar messages.^[2]

METI's aim is to build an interdisciplinary community to design interstellar messages, within the context of the evolution of intelligence and language.^[14] In May 2016, it convened the meeting “The Intelligence Of SETI: Cognition And Communication In Extraterrestrial Intelligence” in Puerto Rico.^[2][5] In May 2018 in Los Angeles, it held “Language in the Cosmos” in conjunction with the International Space Development Conference.^[14][15] to examine the connection between astrobiology and linguistics.^[9] On March 22, 2017, it held a workshop in Paris examining the question "What is life?" from an extraterrestrial perspective.^[16]

METI also conducts an optical search of extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).^[17][2] Its optical observatory in Panama looks for laser pulses from advanced civilizations. It has examined anomalous stars like the nearby red dwarf star Ross 128,^[18] as well as HD 164595, 94 light years from Earth.^[17] None of the searches has yielded evidence of artificial signals.^[17][18]

Criticism

American scientist and science-fiction author David Brin has questioned "whether small groups of zealots should bypass all institutions, peer critique, risk appraisal or public opinion, to shout ‘yoohoo’ into a potentially hazardous cosmos" and so force a fait accompli on humanity.^[19]

Numerous other authors and scientists have expressed similar concerns, generally known as the Dark forest hypothesis of ETI, including Stephen Hawking.^[20][21] Of particular interest in science fiction is Cixin Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past, exploring the theory and some of its implications.^[22][23]

Notable members

Notable members of METI's Board of Directors and Advisory Council include:

• Iván Almár, Consultant, Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary
• Setsuko Aoki, Professor of Policy Management, Keio University, Japan
• Jacques Arnould, Ethics Advisor, Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), France
• Jerome H. Barkow, Professor Emeritus of Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Canada
• Nelly Ben Hayoun, Designer of Experiences, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios, UK
• Lowry Burgess, Professor of Art, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
• Kerri Chandler, Founder of Madhouse Records, USA
• Nathaniel C. Comfort, Professor of History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA
• Paul Davies, Regents' Professor and Director of the Beyond Center, Arizona State University, USA
• Steven J. Dick, Former Chief Historian, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
• David Dunér, Professor of History of Science and Ideas, Lund University, Sweden
• George Dvorsky, chair of the board, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, Canada
• José Gabriel Funes, Professor of Philosophy of Nature, Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina
• Ellen Howell, Senior Research Astronomer, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, USA
• Chris Impey, Associate Dean, College of Science and Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona, USA
• Mary Lee Jensvold, Director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI), Central Washington University, USA
• James Kasting, Evan Pugh University Professor, Pennsylvania State University, USA
• Arik Kershenbaum, Fellow of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, and author of The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy, UK
• Guillermo A. Lemarchand, Researcher and Science Policy Consultant, UNESCO, Argentina
• Jeffrey A. Lockwood, Professor of Natural Sciences and Humanities, University of Wyoming, USA
• Roger Malina, Arts and Technology Distinguished Chair and Professor of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, USA
• Lori Marino, Founder and executive director, Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, Inc., USA
• David Messerschmitt, Roger A. Strauch Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• Anson Mount, Actor; known for his portrayal of fictional character, Cullen Bohannon, in the AMC western drama series, Hell on Wheels, and Captain Christopher Pike in season two of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, USA
• Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria
• Alexander Ollongren, Professor Emeritus at Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden University, Netherlands
• Serpil Oppermann, Past President, EASCLE (European Association for the Study of Literature, Culture, and the Environment), Turkey
• Irene Pepperberg, Research Associate, Harvard University, USA
• Ted Peters, Research Professor Emeritus in Systematic Theology and Ethics, Graduate Theological Union (GTU), USA
• Stephen G. Post, Director, Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics, Stony Brook University, USA
• Ian Roberts, Professor of Linguistics, University of Cambridge, UK
• Holmes Rolston III, University Distinguished Professor and Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Colorado State University, USA
• Vandana Singh, Professor and Chair of Physics and Earth Sciences, Framingham State University, USA
• Susan Stryker, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and Director of the Institute for LGBT Studies, University of Arizona, USA
• John Traphagan, Professor of Religious Studies and Anthropology and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Fellow, University of Texas at Austin, USA
• Douglas Vakoch, President of METI, USA
• Ariel Waldman, Global Director, Science Hack Day, USA

See also

• Active SETI — METI (Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)
• Fermi paradox — Lack of evidence that extraterrestrials exist
• SETIcon – Public conventions on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
• Zoo hypothesis — Hypothesis that suggests humanity is effectively caged on Earth

References

External links

• METI Website