The idea of #aliens has fascinated people for centuries, with the first written record dating back to a 200 AD story by writer Lucian of Samosata. While scientists are searching for life beyond Earth, they consider the possibility of finding both simple, tiny life forms and intelligent life forms. Programs like SETI search for radio signals that may be a way of communicating with other beings in space, and the Breakthrough Listen project is a massive research program aiming to find evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth, funded by Russian entrepreneurs with US$100 million over 10 years. Other projects include the Allen Telescope Array, a special radio telescope built to search for #extraterrestrial intelligence, and the SETI Institute, which explores the possibility of detecting signals that could be explained as "space lasers" used for communication or spacecraft propulsion by advanced civilizations.