“To find aliens, we must become the aliens,” notes Nathalie Cabrol in her paper Alien Mindscapes. In order to imagine life as we don’t know it, we need to let go of our anthropocentric point of view and, as Nathalie puts it, “step out of our brains.” A multidisciplinary approach is essential to this endeavour, and SETI research includes space sciences, astrobiology, cognitive sciences, machine learning - and, through the AIR program, also the arts. Our artists bring thoughtful and inspired perspectives to our quest to conceptualize Life beyond Earth. The two artists featured this issue of SETI AIR News are certainly stepping out of their brains. Mike von der Nahmer explores the question of whether the universe itself is a thinking consciousness, and if it may possess an integral language. Dovetailing with this theme, Charles Lindsay wonders whether AI can become conscious and, possibly, enlightened. Discover more about both artist’s fascinating work below.

Wishing you a healthy - and mindful - winter season,
Bettina