Turns out FRBs are not that random after all

The latest Fast Radio burst signals detected are following a steady 16-day cycle

The expectation of finally being able to communicate with possible intelligent alien life out there in the universe has led astronomers to dissect many different cosmic signals. Nothing became more popular than the landmark “Wow message” received in the form of a 72-second burst of radio waves, back in 1977. For many, the message became an unofficial proof of the existence of alien life.

A debate around the subject continued for the next three decades until the astronomers detected a high-energy radio signal from a galaxy far beyond ours in 2007. Since the reading was recorded without any astronomical explanation, it kickstarted the debate again whether an alien civilization was trying to contact us.

These so-called fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been detected from random sources at uneven intervals, which actually got the astronomers thinking if they were a deliberate means of communication. Recent observations showed multiple signals coming from a single source but they were still random.

Of the eight FRBs six repeated only once, one repeated three times and the eighth one produced 10 bursts. The irregular nature of the radio bursts still gave some credence…