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Probably not. FAST detected a narrowband radio signal from the direction of the K2-155 system, but the reported evidence points more strongly to terrestrial radio interference than to an extraterrestrial transmitter. The source remains unknown, and the signal has not been confirmed as coming from the super-Earth K2-155 d—or from aliens.
What did FAST detect?
According to EarthSky’s October 2, 2026 report, a team used a machine-learning search pipeline to revisit FAST observations of 33 planetary systems. The observations were recorded in 2021; the signal was identified in a later search. The report says the study appeared in The Astronomical Journal on August 27, 2026, under the title “A Wavelet-integrated Search Pipeline for Narrowband Technosignatures in FAST Observations of 33 Exoplanet Systems.”
The search generated 139,127 initial candidates and narrowed them to two leading signals. The candidate associated with Kepler-438 was identified as terrestrial interference, leaving the signal from the direction of K2-155 as the other leading candidate, according to EarthSky’s account of the results.
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Why did the signal attract attention?
The report describes the signal as very narrow in frequency, drifting over time, and appearing in one sky position. Narrowband signals merit attention in searches for technosignatures because engineered transmitters can produce concentrated spectral features. EarthSky quotes the study: “Natural astrophysical processes rarely generate extremely narrow spectral features while engineered transmitters often do.”
A changing frequency can be consistent with relative motion between a transmitter and the observer, including rotation or orbital motion. But drift is not an alien signature: terrestrial radio interference can also imitate it. Likewise, appearing in one target’s direction makes a signal a candidate for follow-up, not proof of where it was produced.
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What points toward interference?
Two reported details weigh against treating this as evidence of an extraterrestrial transmitter:
- Polarization: The candidate was strong in only one polarization channel.
- Similar signals elsewhere: Signals at close to the same frequency appeared at three other stars.
Together, those clues make terrestrial radio interference the more likely explanation, according to EarthSky’s report. They do not identify the emitter, however; the source is still unknown. The evidence therefore supports a cautious conclusion: an interesting candidate was found, but it has not been established as a technosignature.
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Does K2-155 d’s size or habitability matter?
K2-155 d is described as a super-Earth about 1.6 times Earth’s radius, orbiting a red dwarf. EarthSky calls it potentially habitable, while noting that scientists do not know enough to regard it as a likely place for life to begin. Those descriptions provide context for why the system catches public interest; they do not show that life is present or that the planet produced the radio signal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What would make an alien explanation more convincing?
The reported clues do not settle the signal’s origin. A stronger case would require evidence that distinguishes a source associated with the target from local interference—for example, repeatable detections tied to the system rather than similar-frequency signals appearing across different directions. The current report does not establish such confirmation, so the signal should be described as an unexplained candidate, not a detection from K2-155 d.
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