Recent progress and future plans on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The possibility of life in other parts of the Universe has long occupied the human mind, but actual searches only began in 1960 with Project OZMA conducted by Frank Drake. In the past 25 years, we have made impressive progress, and this new field has gained broad scientific recognition including the support of the US and the Soviet National Academies, and the endorsement of the International Astronomical Union.