Latest news with #MichaelGarrett
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Airports like Heathrow and Gatwick could help ALIENS spot Earth, new research shows
Here on Earth, scientists use huge radio telescopes to scan the skies for signs of advanced alien civilisations hiding out in space. But what if the aliens are doing the same thing? Scientists have revealed that radar systems at airports and military bases would shine out like cosmic beacons for any watching civilisations. This means airports like Gatwick and Heathrow could be revealing our presence to aliens. Research presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting simulated how Earth would look to an alien civilisation if they had state-of-the-art radio telescopes like our own. This revealed that a civilisation would not need to be particularly advanced or particularly nearby to spot the signals leaking from Earth's airports. Professor Michael Garrett, an astrophysicist from the University of Manchester and director of the Jodrell Bank radio telescope, told MailOnline: 'I don't think they need to be more than a few hundred years more advanced than we are. 'So they don't need to be something like a 'Star Trek civilisation' way more advanced than us, just to detect our signals.' Radar systems, like those used at airports, detect planes by sending out beams of radio waves and measuring how they bounce back from distant objects. But as radar systems look for planes, those beams of radio waves also leak out into space. Professor Garrett and lead author Ramiro Caisse Saide, a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, looked at how this invisible electromagnetic radiation would look from beyond the planet. They found that Earth's civilian airports alone reach peak emission intensities of two billion megawatts. This is so strong that a radio telescope comparable to the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia could pick up the signal from 200 light years away. For context, the nearest plausibly habitable world to Earth is Proxima Centauri B, located just four light years from Earth. Although it would still take thousands of years to get there with our current technology, it is well within the range needed to pick up our radio signals. The radar signals emitted by military installations would be an even stronger giveaway of humans' presence in the universe. 3Even as far as AU Microscopii, a star located 31.7 light-years from the sun, Earth's airports would light up like cosmic beacons to any watching civilisation Unlike civilian radar, military systems have a much more focused beam which sweeps the sky like a lighthouse. Depending on where the observer is located, these signals can be up to 100 times stronger than those emitted by an airport. Mr Saide says that these would look 'clearly artificial to anyone watching from interstellar distances with a powerful radio telescope.' To any alien civilisation who might be watching, this 'technosignature' would be a clear sign of intelligent life on Earth. 'Our findings suggest that radar signals - produced unintentionally by any planet with advanced technology and complex aviation systems - could act as a universal sign of intelligent life.' However, the researchers say there's no need to start shutting down the airports over fears of an alien invasion. Professor Garrett says: 'The likelihood is that technical civilisations are quite rare and perhaps they don't persist very long. Civilisations rise and fall, and if you are bound to a planet, resources are limited. 'So the Universe is big, it's also really old, and if technical civilisations are short-lived, they can come and go in our own Galaxy all the time, but never overlap long enough to detect each other. 'So I'd say, we shouldn't worry too much about radar powers - of course I might be wrong!' The more exciting implication of these findings is that Earth's radio signals might give us a hint at what to look for in our own search for extraterrestrial life. Generally, most research projects looking for alien technosignatures scan for powerful signals in narrow bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. These simulations show that weaker broad-band signals like radar emissions can also be a clear sign of intelligent life. The only issue is that an extra 100 years of advancement might give aliens forms of technology we struggle to detect or even recognise. However, Professor Garret remains hopeful that spotting intelligent life remains possible. He says: 'I think AI will push our own civilisation further forward by a huge amount in the next 30 years, the detection of an extraterrestrial signal might just be around the corner.' How the Drake Equation is used to hunt aliens The Drake Equation is a seven-variable way of finding the chance of active civilizations existing beyond Earth. It takes into account factors like the rate of star formation, the amount of stars that could form planetary systems, the number potentially habitable planets in those systems. The equation includes recent data from Nasa's Kepler satellite on the number of exoplanets that could harbor life. Researchers also adapted the equation from being about the number of civilizations that exist now, to being about the probability of civilization being the only one that has ever existed. Researchers found the odds of an advanced civilization developing need to be less than one in 10 billion trillion for humans to be the only intelligent life in the universe. Unless the odds of advanced life evolving on a habitable planet are astonishingly low, then humankind is not the only advanced civilization to have lived. But Kepler data places those odds much higher, which means technologically advanced aliens are likely to have existed at some point.
NDTV
08-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Alien Landing Strips? Airports Could Guide Aliens to Earth, Study Suggests
A new study found that the radar systems used by civilian airports and military operations may be potentially revealing Earth's existence to "extraterrestrial observers", or aliens. Radar systems emit electromagnetic signals that can travel into space, detectable by powerful radio telescopes, said researchers of a study presented at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)'s National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham, England on July 8. The research simulated how radar signals from airports like London's Heathrow and New York City's JFK International spread out into space and could be detectable from nearby stars like Barnard's Star and AU Microscopii. As per NASA, Barnard's Star, which is less than six light-years away, is "the closest single star to our sun and the most fast moving". Meanwhile, AU Microscopii is among the youngest planetary systems ever observed by astronomers. It is set less than 32 light-years from Earth. "Our findings suggest that radar signals-produced unintentionally by any planet with advanced technology and complex aviation system-could act as a universal sign of intelligent life," study lead and astrophysicist Ramiro Saide of the University of Manchester said in a statement. These signals could be strong enough to be picked up by strong telescopes. If alien life exists within 200 light-years and has advanced technology, they might be able to detect these signals. This unintentional signal leakage could also act as a universal sign of intelligent life, helping astronomers focus on what to look for in the search for extraterrestrial civilisations. The study noted that the military radar signals are more focused and directional, creating "lighthouse-like" beams that sweep across space. "By learning how our signals travel through space, we gain valuable insights into how to protect the radio spectrum for communications and design future radar systems," added paper co-author and Manchester astronomer professor Michael Garrett. "The methods developed for modelling and detecting these weak signals can also be used in astronomy, planetary defense, and even in monitoring the impact of human technology on our space environment." Saide concluded: "In this way, our work supports both the scientific quest to answer the question 'Are we alone?' and practical efforts to manage the influence of technology on our world and beyond."
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Diversified Energy Promotes Michael Garrett to Chief Accounting Officer
Garrett Brings More Than 20 Years of Accounting and Financial Reporting Experience to the Newly Established Role BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diversified Energy Company PLC (LSE: DEC, NYSE: DEC) ('Diversified' or the "Company") is pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Garrett to Chief Accounting Officer ('CAO'). Mr. Garrett, a certified public accountant, has been at Diversified since 2018, where he has held various leadership positions and currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Controller. In his new role, Garrett will be responsible for leading the Company's corporate and regulatory accounting matters, external financial reporting, controllership, and tax, overseeing a team of approximately 75 financial professionals across numerous offices. Garrett will continue to report to Brad Gray, Diversified's President & Chief Financial Officer. Commenting on the promotion, Brad Gray said: 'The strength of Diversified's accounting organization is evident in the seasoned executives who can step up and lead in new roles. Michael has a unique background and a high level of expertise in the oil and gas sector that has served him well throughout his career. His skill and experience have been invaluable to our organization for many years, including navigating complex accounting, reporting and regulatory requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. I am excited to watch Michael take on this elevated role for a publicly traded company and lead our accounting and financial reporting teams.' Garrett brings 20 years of advanced accounting experience to his new role. He has previously served in accounting functions at Callon Petroleum, Pfizer, and Pinnacle Airlines with progressively higher responsibilities. Garrett is a graduate of Lambuth University with a degree in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant ('CPA'). For further information, please contact: Diversified Energy Company PLC +1 973 856 2757 Doug Kris dkris@ Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications FTI Consulting dec@ U.S. & UK Financial Public Relations About Diversified Energy Company PLC Diversified is a leading publicly traded energy company focused on natural gas and liquids production, transport, marketing, and well retirement. Through our unique differentiated strategy, we acquire existing, long-life assets and invest in them to improve environmental and operational performance until retiring those assets in a safe and environmentally secure manner. Recognized by ratings agencies and organizations for our sustainability leadership, this solutions-oriented, stewardship approach makes Diversified the Right Company at the Right Time to responsibly produce energy, deliver reliable free cash flow, and generate shareholder in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
03-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Minneapolis man sentenced to 25.5 years for shooting, killing man who interjected in a fight
A Minneapolis man was sentenced Tuesday to 25.5 years for shooting and killing a man who got involved in a fight with his mother. Michael Garrett, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder on April 28. An autopsy showed that the victim, Dijon Legore-Banks, had been shot eight times. "Dijon's loved ones are in my thoughts as our prosecution comes to an end," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "Mr. Garrett involved himself in an altercation and escalated it needlessly by restoring to extreme violence. Today's sentence holds him accountable and protects our community." Garrett has 259 days of credit for time already served. Charging documents say the fatal shooting was preceded by a fight between several women on the 1100 block of Morgan Avenue North in Minneapolis. Legore-Banks "interjected" in the fight and said something to one of the women, investigators said. Garrett, whose mother was allegedly involved in the fight, pulled up in a vehicle and shot at Legore-Banks, documents said. Legore-Banks died at a hospital.
