Dr Douglas Vakoch: Should we try to contact aliens?

<p>In this week’s episode, I’m talking to Dr Douglas Vakoch, President of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI.</p><p>We talk about whether we should be broadcasting messages into space to signal our existence to intelligent alien species.</p><p>We also discuss how we could create a message that an unknown species of alien could understand.</p><ul><li><strong>Subscribe</strong>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>&nbsp;on these services:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acast</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-focus-podcast/id1296673906?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/immediate-media-2/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://rss.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RSS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1296673906/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Overcast</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/dr-douglas-vakoch-on-sending-messages-into-space-for-aliens/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read the full transcription</a>&nbsp;[this will open in a new window]</li></ul><p><strong>Listen to more episodes of the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/dr-erin-macdonald-is-there-any-science-in-star-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/project-discovery-and-its-search-for-exoplanets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bergur Finnbogason: Project Discovery and its search for exoplanets</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/what-if-the-earths-magnetic-field-died-jim-al-khalili/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? –