“Stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting planet can broaden an otherwise ultra-narrow signal, spreading its power across more frequencies and making it more difficult to detect in traditional narrowband searches.”
Science paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae3d33
Review article: https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/10/seti_admits_its_search_for/
Broadening of specral lines info: http://www.hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Atomic/broaden.html
Well yeah. But that’s to be expected in astronomy, they have to keep changing the model as they learn more and more. Who knew 40 years ago that stellar atmospheres could broaden radio-frequency lines?
Fair cop … but society’s to blame !