'Are we alone?': $200 million gift from late tech mogul to fund search for extraterrestrial life

Researchers at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute have spent decades scanning the cosmos for any sign proving that humanity is not alone.

Considering the unfathomable vastness of the universe, astrophysicists are singularly united in the belief that intelligent life almost certainty exists somewhere among the stars. But so far, evidence confirming that theory has yet to materialize despite untold sums of money and research efforts spent to find it.

Fortunately for SETI, a new philanthropic gift of $200 million will ensure that its efforts to find extraterrestrial life will continue for years to come. In announcing the donation of the large sum last week, the nonprofit scientific organization said it will be able to undertake more missions and expand research priorities to find life beyond Earth.

The gift came from the estate of the late tech entrepreneur Franklin Antonio, co-founder of communication chip company Qualcomm. Antonio supported SETI's research efforts for 12 years before his death in May 2022, according to a news release.

"We now have the opportunity to elevate and expedite our research and make new discoveries to benefit all humanity for generations to come,” SETI President and CEO Bill Diamond said in a statement. “In his memory, the SETI Institute will continue its pursuit of one of the biggest and most profound questions in all of science, a question as old as humanity itself – are we alone in the universe?”

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UFOs, extraterrestrial, capture public imagination

Public interest in UFOs and extraterrestrial life has been mounting in recent months amid a series of revelations and astonishing claims - some of which have been disputed and largely dismissed as hoaxes.

While there is still no government confirmation of extraterrestrial life, Congress has continued to explore the topic of UFOs, which it now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP.) Even NASA has revealed plans to research and study reports of UAP, though the space agency stopped short of saying any evidence existed to say the mysterious crafts are alien in origin.

But determining the origin of strange objects flying in ways believed to be beyond the capabilities of human technology is much different from the work of finding alien life in outer space.

Research teams at SETI have for years used radio telescopes to search for signals from outer space, and they're far from alone. Astronomers at universities and space agencies like NASA have similarly been combing the cosmos and making interesting discoveries, such as a host of exoplanets, some of which appear to have the conditions necessary to support life.

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How will SETI use the $200 million?

SETI, which employs more than 100 scientists to conduct research in 173 programs, said the donated funds will allow the organization to expand those projects. The institute not only searches for extraterrestrial life, but also conducts research into astronomy, exoplanets, climate and astrobiology.

Antonio's gift will help SETI establish postdoctoral fellowships and internal grants for science and education programs; establish international partnerships; develop educational programs; and develop new technologies and methods for observations.

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SETI said its projects are eligible for limited federal funding through research grants, which means the institute is largely dependent upon philanthropic support and private funding. Antonio’s gift, the institute said, will also serve to permanently endow core SETI programs.

“It will provide our teams the freedom to pursue their own science priorities," Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research. "And to examine the technological, philosophical and societal impact of their research on our daily lives here on Earth.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]