Interesting, even if it is just hairdryers or hackers...

[R3C]

Actually, it's probably just Stormy's bitchin' new hairdryer. (It's pro-grade dude.)

Scientists in America have picked up sounds which may be the first proof of other life-forms in the universe.

The signal, which astronomers have labelled SHGbo2+14a, is 31 million years old, and after two years of analysis, they think the radio waves could be a message from intelligent beings.

Apparently, they are on a frequency which experts claim aliens are most likely to use.

Other, more practical theories include hackers from Houston and even hairdryers in Hong Kong.

The signal has only been observed for about a minute in total, which is not long enough to allow astronomers to analyse it in detail.

It is unlikely to be the result of any obvious radio interference or noise, and does not bear the hallmark of any known astronomical object.

Other theories for what produced the odd signal are a previously unknown astronomical phenomenon, or a glitch in the giant Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico that picked it up.

Alternatively, say experts involved in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (Seti), it might really have been sent by aliens.

The signal is the most exciting discovery in the six-year history of the seti@home project, which uses programs running as screensavers on millions of personal computers worldwide to sift through the vast amount of data from Arecibo.