OK, i will try to ask this best way i can. If we were to get a signal from another solar system, besides the fact that we have confirmation we arent alone. What exactly would be the point? Would we end up just getting signals that are older than our own civilization? Wouldnt every single signal we ever pickup be so old that we would have no way to communicate? Im of course under the assumption that every nearby star would already have been scanned and deemed a dud. I also understand that it would be earth changing if we could interpret those signals, even glean some new technology or ideas from those same signals.

What did the Wilbur brothers do one day in 1903, when they decided for the first flight with a machine heavier than air,
next also possibly able to fly as well, only because of coming with wings as well?

Perhaps no such thing as any "emergence" either. but here someone chose to make a little story about a couple of signals around,
and next both the Arecibo message, and also the WOW signal as well, with a little yellowish background in the video.

Perhaps not the main point either, because here, Dr. Frank Drake here took a second or two to recognize, because of that of ageing,
in that the clip perhaps was not that old.

One of the brightest stars in the night sky is Capella, some 40 light years distant, in the constellation Auriga.

Also a double star, but a civilization there could be old, but just inventing the radio, for that of transmission right now.

Except for perhaps the old, thriving civilization, which could choose to go into hiding, only for that of its own survival.

Perhaps still the Drake equation, for that of calculating the possible number of intelligent civilizations in space, but also those factors which could be around,
only for that of making intelligent life possible, including both water and air, but also those factors which could make for possible change,
and also include that of evolution as well.

Making it only such a thing, for that of a 500 million year old evolution sequence, or cycle here on Earth, and also we could be taking factors for that of
making it nature itself, except for the sad thing of making it a "Premise" at times, when also dealing with such problems.

It only goes to show that sometimes an easy explanation could end up having at least some outcome, for that of a possible explanation.

The significance would be that we are not alone in the Universe as far as sentient, intelligent life forms are concerned. The religious implications would be the thing that would have the most effect here on Earth. The message might contain some information on their world, their language and the way that they looked and where they are in the cosmos. Communication--as dialog--. would be fruitless if they were substantially more than 100 light years away

From my point of view, the only significance that receiving a bonafide signal from another star system would be the proof that there is at least one other location where intelligent beings have arisen. As pointed out, a signal from a star system more than a few light years away would have no potential for eventual two way communication. Maybe, if in the future, when we have the capability to travel, one way, to a distant star system it might serve as a target for exploration or a place to avoid.

From the aspect of finally proving that we aren't alone a lot of people will have to rethink their attitudes about a lot of things.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Welcome to the forum, MjMdM;

Despite what some people seem to believe, these are still very early days in SETI. If we were to find a signal from intelligent life on another world, it would mean that such life is very likely to be very common in the galaxy. This discovery would amount to the most important and interesting discovery in the history of science!

Even if 'back and forth' conversation proved impractical, this would not alter the basic importance of the discovery. There is no telling what sort of valuable information we might extract from the signals, in time.

At the very least, we would have learned that it is possible for a civilization to reach, and surpass our level of technical development and continue to flourish. A very valuable lesson for us.