Noofirmas: The New Way to Search for Intelligent Alien Life 2026

Astrobiologist Julia De Marines from UC Berkeley has introduced a new concept called noofirmas—physical traces of cognitive activity—that could revolutionize the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Instead of relying solely on biosignatures or technosignatures, noofirmas offer a middle ground that focuses on the history of intelligence itself.

Are we looking for alien life the wrong way, or are we simply alone in the universe? Some experts lean toward the former, arguing it would be egocentric to think we are the only inhabitants of the cosmos. The problem is that we focus on searching for alien intelligence, but perhaps we are not intelligent enough to find it—or we haven't hit on the best strategies.

Normally, we look for biosignatures (biological traces) or technosignatures (radio signals from extraterrestrial technology). Now, De Marines has devised a term that sits right in the middle: noofirmas.

What Are Noofirmas and Why Do They Matter?

Noofirmas are physical evidence of cognitive activity—a history of intelligence that doesn't necessarily require advanced technology. De Marines argues that if an extraterrestrial had pointed its radio telescopes at Earth during the Stone Age, it would have found nothing. It would have concluded that there are no planets with intelligent life in that direction.

The flaw would have been assuming that any planet with intelligent life must be at the same technological stage. That's a big mistake, and we are making it right now. Technosignatures, therefore, are not the best option.

As for biosignatures, they don't always point to biological processes. This is where noofirmas come in: they capture the physical story of cognitive activity, regardless of technological level.

Why Technosignatures Fall Short

Technosignatures assume that intelligent aliens would emit detectable signals, such as radio waves or laser pulses. But what if they are intelligent yet not advanced? A civilization could have language, art, and complex social structures without developing radio technology.

By focusing only on technosignatures, we might miss entire civilizations that are intelligent but not technological. Noofirmas broaden the search to include any physical trace of cognition, such as large-scale structures, waste heat, or atmospheric pollutants.

The Problem with Biosignatures

Biosignatures are chemical or physical signs of life, like oxygen or methane in an atmosphere. But these can also be produced by non-biological processes. For example, oxygen can accumulate abiotically on planets around certain stars.

So biosignatures alone are not definitive proof of life. Noofirmas offer a complementary approach: they look for signs of intelligence, not just life.

How Noofirmas Could Change the Search for Alien Life

Noofirmas could be detected through various means. For instance, a planet with intelligent life might show unusual atmospheric composition due to industrial activity, even if it's not advanced enough for radio. Or it might have large-scale structures that are not natural.

De Marines suggests that we should look for a physical history of cognitive activity. This could include fossil records, atmospheric changes, or even artificial light. The key is to be open to a wider range of signatures.

• Noofirmas are physical traces of cognitive activity, bridging biosignatures and technosignatures.
• Technosignatures assume advanced technology, missing intelligent but non-technological civilizations.
• Biosignatures can have non-biological origins, so they are not definitive proof of life.
• Noofirmas encourage a broader search, including atmospheric pollutants, waste heat, and large structures.
• This approach could help us detect intelligence at any stage of development.

Comparing Search Strategies for Alien Intelligence

What to Watch Next in the Search for Noofirmas

De Marines' proposal is gaining attention in the astrobiology community. Future telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, could potentially detect noofirmas by analyzing exoplanet atmospheres for artificial pollutants. The background to this story is set out in Why Intelligent Alien Encounters Remain Elusive. A related thread runs through Spanish Astrobiologist Recreates Space Smells as Perfume. Earlier coverage in Science: latest articles shows how the argument developed.

However, the challenge is to distinguish between natural and artificial signatures. This will require interdisciplinary collaboration between astronomers, biologists, and cognitive scientists. A closer look at the same subject appears in China's Reusable Space Plane Confirmed by US Intelligence Report. Anyone following the wider picture can start with El Ajedrecista: The First Computer Game by Leonardo Torres Quevedo. The same theme surfaces in Earth's Oxygen Has an Expiration Date: What the Study Says, which takes a different angle.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is evolving. Noofirmas represent a more inclusive approach that acknowledges the diversity of intelligent life. As De Marines puts it, any planet that has developed intelligence should have noofirmas—a physical history of cognitive activity. Context on how this played out before sits in Conscious Robots: The Technical and Philosophical Case for Machine Reason. A companion piece, Noofirmas: The New Way to Search for Intelligent Alien Life, approaches the same subject from another angle.