"As I grow older I am more convinced than ever that we are not alone. After a lifetime of wondering, I am helping to lead a new global effort to find out," Stephen Hawking said in a video. "The Breakthrough Listen project will scan the nearest million stars for signs of life, but I know just the place to start looking.
One day we might receive a signal from a planet like Gliese 832c, but we should be wary of answering back," Hawking added.
As our planet's technology continues to evolve, scientists like Stephen Hawking become more aware of the possibility that aliens might lurk in the darkness studying our behavior from afar. In this radio interview, the SETI Institute's chief astronomer, Seth Shostak discusses the planet's current and future efforts to discover advanced extraterrestrial life.
Concurrently, the Breakthrough Message project seeks to design a form of a digital message that humans could send to aliens. However, there are several strict regulations when it comes to contacting extraterrestrial species: “Not to transmit any message until there has been a global debate on the risks and rewards."
LISTEN to "Hawking's Aliens" in the sound cloud audio below: