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The SETI Institute shared exciting news on Wednesday, revealing a generous donation of $200 million from the late Franklin Antonio, co-founder of Qualcomm, who passed away on May 13, 2022. Antonio's legacy gift is dedicated to supporting the institute's quest for discovering intelligent extraterrestrial life.
Established in 1984 and based in California, the SETI Institute is a non-profit organization committed to unraveling the mysteries of life and intelligence in the universe. By combining physical and biological sciences research, along with cutting-edge technologies like data analytics, machine learning, and advanced signal detection, the institute aims to identify signs of intelligent life beyond Earth.
With a team of over 100 scientists engaged in 173 distinct programs spanning six scientific disciplines—astronomy and astrophysics, exoplanets, planetary exploration, astrobiology, climate and bio-geoscience, and the quest for extraterrestrial intelligence—the institute is at the forefront of scientific exploration.
In May of this year, the institute initiated the "A Sign in Space" project, preparing for the possibility of receiving a message from an alien intelligence. This involved the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter, orbiting Mars, sending an encrypted message to Earth, simulating a scenario where we receive communication from extraterrestrial beings.
