Space Weather Masks Alien Signals

Astronomer Vishal Gajjar and colleagues argue that stellar and interstellar 'space weather' can scramble or hide radio/optical technosignals, meaning a noisy stellar environment could explain part of the silence in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. That implies SETI needs different observing strategies (timing, frequency bands, or modulation searches) and that apparent null results don’t straightforwardly mean no intelligent life exists. — This reframes the Fermi paradox from a pure sociological puzzle into an observable, testable astrophysical constraint that should influence SETI funding, international protocols on messaging, and public expectations about contact timelines.