Largest sky survey: no evidence of aliens, no laser signals

In a new study, researchers looked at light coming from 5,600 stars in our own Milky Way – with 2,000 of those thought to host warm, Earth-like planets – but found nothing. Either alien civilizations aren't using powerful laser beams like we thought they might be, or those aliens just aren't there.

A team from the University of California Berkeley based their work on ideas proposed by fellow SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientists; namely: if advanced life exists out there, it might well be using directed energy laser technology.

The study has been accepted for publication in an upcoming edition of The Astronomical Journal. Until then, you can read the preprint version at arXiv.org.