SETI

Chinese AI firm SenseTime has launched SenseMart OS, an operating system designed to bring embodied intelligence into retail environments. The system is aimed at powering robots and smart devices that can perceive, interact with, and assist customers in stores. Details about pricing, availability, and retail partners have not yet been widely reported.

SETI Institute volcanologist Dr. Kayla Iacovino appeared on NewsNation to explain what a Yellowstone super-eruption would actually mean for the planet. She described the event as so large that its global effects could be comparable to those of a major asteroid impact, prompting fresh public discussion about the supervolcano's potential consequences.

The SETI Institute is hosting the next Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture on October 7, with astrophysicist Dr. Jessie Christiansen exploring the question of whether Earth is unique. Thousands of years of wondering have confirmed that planets are common across the galaxy, yet another world quite like our own remains undiscovered, and the lecture will trace that search from past to present.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a HiRISE image showing dark sand dunes sweeping across the floor of Schaeberle Crater. The Seti Institute highlighted the picture, noting the crater spans nearly 159 kilometers in Mars' southern hemisphere and that its floor preserves evidence of very different past environmental conditions on the red planet.

A complete copy of the film KD - The Devil, presented in 1080p HD and billed as starring Shilpa Shetty, Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia, is circulating online and drawing heavy public attention. The Kannada-language action film has been closely awaited, and viewers are reacting to the widely shared full-movie copy. Industry observers typically note that such releases raise piracy concerns for producers and distributors.

On the SETI Live podcast, SETI Institute executive Bill Diamond speaks with Dr. Lori Marino, recipient of the 2026 Drake Award, about animal intelligence and brain evolution. Marino, a specialist in whale and dolphin cognition, argues that studying non-human minds on Earth can shape how scientists think about intelligence elsewhere in the universe. The conversation covers dolphin and whale brains, what intelligence means beyond humans, and the search for extraterrestrial minds.

In 1820, mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss reportedly proposed carving gigantic right-angled triangles or squares into Siberian forests by clearing trees, planting wheat in between, hoping the geometric shapes would be visible from space and signal intelligent life. The anecdote is circulating again on social media, drawing amused and fascinated reactions as an early example of communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, long before modern SETI efforts.

The October 2, 2026 episode of Science Friday, hosted by Ira Flatow with Flora Lichtman, features two segments: an examination of a newly formed crater on the Moon and a discussion of the search for signs of alien technology. The episode is being shared among listeners interested in space science and SETI topics.

The SETI Institute is hosting a talk by scientist Dr. Vishal Gajjar with ScienceKind titled 'The Great Radio Silence in the Age of AI'. The discussion will examine whether humanity would actually recognize an extraterrestrial signal if one arrived, how potential signals could escape traditional search methods, and how artificial intelligence is being used to rethink the search for alien life.

Russian authorities have detained a resident of the Primorsky region on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack in North Ossetia. The arrest was reported by the Caucasian Knot news outlet. Few details have been released about the suspect or the alleged plot, and officials have not said what the intended target was or whether others are being sought.