Look for Intelligence, Not Just Life

Instead of primarily hunting for generic biosignatures (like microbes or oxygen), prioritize technosignatures—signals or artifacts produced by technology—because they can be detectable across interstellar distances even when biological life is hard to find. This reframing emphasizes planetary detectability (how obvious a civilization makes itself) and suggests reallocating search strategies and funding toward radio/optical transmissions, industrial pollutants, and other global-scale markers of technology. — Shifting from 'life' to 'intelligence' alters scientific agendas, public expectations, and funding choices for SETI and related space programs.