$13.5 Million Donated to Search for Alien Life

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul G. Allen is giving $13.5 million for research that includes looking for intelligent life in outer space, bringing his total donations to the radio astronomy project to $25 million.

Allen, the world's fifth-richest person, announced his latest gift in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the Allen Telescope Array in Palo Alto.

In addition to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the project is directed at examining quasars, cosmic explosions and the birth of stars for clues to the origin of the universe and its composition.