Is SETI at Risk of Downloading a Malicious Virus from Outer Space?

Is SETI at risk of downloading a malicious virus from outer space? Could ET be living *right now* inside the Internet?

We take it for granted that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a safe endeavor. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong with passively searching for interstellar radio signals? Unfortunately, the answer is quite a lot –- especially if the incoming signal contains something malicious, like a computer virus or Trojan horse.

And according to the experts, this isn't just idle speculation – the threat is very real. So, just how concerned to we need to be? Read more

Aliens Won't Want to Enslave Us, Says World-Famous Alien Hunter

Aliens won't want to enslave us, says astronomer Jill Tarter, former director of the SETI Institute.She doesn't reveal how she knows the psychology of unknown alien species though.

Astronomer Jill Tarter – who stepped down earlier this week as director of the SETI Institute – said today (May 24, 2012) that she disagrees with those who depict extraterrestrials as angry warriors ready to enslave us, or eat us. In a press release from the SETI Institute, announcing their June 2012 SETIcon, Tarter said: Read more