Thursday, March 11, 6:30 p.m.

Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence  BUY NOW

Menlo Park City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park

Shostak has been at the center of the sometimes admired, sometimes dismissed effort to pick up extraterrestrial radio communication. Shostak will explain the challenges of trying to detect alien communications using ever more sophisticated methods and explaining why the almost 50-year effort has so far yielded nothing.

He will also discuss practical questions: Would alien societies communicate via radio or something more advanced? If they were more advanced, how could we understand what they were saying? Would it be safe and proper to reply, and who would decide what to say back? Might aliens have evolved into something akin to computerized machines?

Seth Shostak is a scientist, author, and frequent commentator on TV and radio. He writes a monthly column on SPACE.com, and often lectures on his work at SETI. He lives in Palo Alto.

For reservations call 1-800-847-7730 or register online at www.Commonwealthclub.org/sv