Scientists have been looking for signs of alien life for over 40 years. At the recent Toronto Science festival, astronomers spoke about a new technology that will be used in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Before that, lets rollback. In the 1960s, the search began by using a telescope looking for radio pulses in the sky. The original experiment didn't turn up anything but that didn't stop any budding astronomer from continuing.

What if aliens were also searching for life the way we do? University of Toronto Astronomer Shelley Wright is building a near-infrared detector. This detector will send small laser pulses out into space, creating bright flashes that could attract the attention of any extraterrestrial beings that may be watching. Is that a good idea though?

Other projects include using part of the computer on the New Horizons spacecraft which is on its way to Pluto to put out a crowdsourced message for any alien intelligence that might come to find it.

Via Space.com