We could detect a malfunctioning warp drive on an alien starship

There is no evidence that aliens are flying around the galaxy in starships powered by faster-than-light warp drives – but if they were, we could detect such a ship breaking down using our current Earth-based technology, say researchers. Such a discovery could confirm the existence of alien life, though sadly any crew aboard the ship would be torn apart by forces similar to a black hole.

While warp drives are best known from Star Trek, theoretical physicists have found it should be possible to create a bubble of…