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Shostak said that the institute is still looking into the signal, but that he does not think it is a significant discovery.

\"We looked again at the source last night using our antennas, the Allen Telescope Array, and nothing,\" Shostak told ABC News. \"The Russians themselves looked 39 times and only saw it once.\"

Shostak added that there is a long list of other possibilities that could have caused the signal.

\"It could have been a military or a commercial aircraft with radar,\" Shostak said, \"or telecommunication satellites. The laundry list for things that could fool you is not very short.\"

\"I think the fact that we didn't find it last night has me convinced that this is not a significant discovery,\" Shostak said. \"If you find the cure for cancer but you only cure one patient, then you would not say you have found the cure for cancer.\"

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