Scientists say they have found 50 galaxies that may contain intelligent alien races . These galaxies were found to be emitting ‘ unusually high ’ levels of radiation - possibly indicating ‘ the presence of a highly advanced civilisation. ’ Within these galaxies , the researchers said it was possible that an alien race could be harnessing the power of the stars - emitting huge amounts of noticeable heat in the process . Pennsylvania scientists have found evidence that we may not be alone . They found 50 galaxies emitting unusually high levels of radiation . This could be because aliens are harnessing the power of stars . However , further research is needed to confirm that is the case . Shown is Arp 220 , one promising galaxy candidate . The study was led by Dr Jason Wright from the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds at Penn State University in Pennsylvania . The Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies Survey ( G-Hat ) , published in the Astrophysical Journal , details how the team thought they might see the infrared signature of a race far more advanced than ours . A proposed method for harnessing the power of an entire star is known as a Dyson sphere . First proposed by theoretical physicist freeman Dyson in 1960 , this would be a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star . They could be an enclosed shell , or spacecraft spread out to gather its energy - known as a Dyson swarm . If such structures do exist , they would emit huge amounts of noticeable infrared radiation back on Earth . But as of yet , such a structure has not been detected . Source : All About Space magazine . ‘ The idea behind our research is that , if an entire galaxy had been colonised by an advanced spacefaring civilisation , the energy produced by that civilisation 's technologies would be detectable in mid-infrared wavelengths , ’ said Dr Wright . The energy used by such a race to be noticeable would have to be huge - likely harnessing the power of a galaxy ’ s stars . But Dr Wright said that ‘ fundamental thermodynamics tells us that this energy must be radiated away as heat in the mid-infrared wavelengths ’ . This would make them noticeable to Nasa 's Wise telescope , used in the study . The researchers picked out 100,000 galaxies of interest , and found that 50 of them were emitting ‘ unusually high levels of mid-infrared radiation. ’ ‘ Our follow-up studies of those galaxies may reveal if the origin of their radiation results from natural astronomical processes , or if it could indicate the presence of a highly advanced civilization , ’ said Dr Wright . A proposed method for harnessing the power of an entire star is known as a Dyson sphere ( artist 's impression shown ) . First proposed by theoretical physicist freeman Dyson in 1960 , this would be a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star to gather its energy . The findings were made using Nasa ’ s orbiting Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer ( Wise ) telescope ( artist 's illustration shown ) . This telescope is perfect for detecting mid-infrared radiation that an advanced alien race might be emitting . However , talking to MailOnline , Dr Wright noted that the findings were not a sure-fire sign of alien life . The observations could simply be due to natural phenomena , such as dust and star formation . He said , including the 50 galaxies , none of the 100,000 were found ‘ with more than 85 per cent of their light being used by alien industry. ’ However , it ’ s possible that some galaxies do harbour advanced alien life - but they are emitting less energy than we can currently detect . ‘ The harder we look and the longer we work , the better our detection limit will be , and the less energy a galaxy-spanning civilization would need to use for us to discover it , ’ he added . Another possibility , of course , is that such civilisations simply don ’ t exist . But Dr Wright and his colleagues will be hoping that is not the case - and they are continuing to study galaxies for signs that we are not alone . The Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies Survey ( G-Hat ) , published in the Astrophysical Journal , details how the team thought they might see the infrared signature of a race far more advanced than ours . None have been confirmed yet - but the signs so far could be considered promising .
Pennsylvania scientists find evidence that we might not be alone . They found 50 galaxies emitting unusually high levels of radiation . The researchers say the findings are consistent with a theory proposed by physicist Lawrence Krauss, who says our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate and could eventually reach speeds faster than light ( or even faster ) However , further research is needed to confirm that is the case .