Rare and brief bursts of cosmic radio waves have puzzled astronomers since they were first detected 10 years ago.

Some suggested these mysterious bursts of energy could be a sign of alien life trying to contact us.

Now scientists have confirmed that the mysterious signals really do come from outer space.

Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are radio emissions that appear temporarily and randomly, making them not only hard to find, but also hard to study.

The mystery stems from the fact it is not known what could produce such a short and sharp burst.

This has led some to speculate they could be anything from stars colliding to artificially created messages.