If we accept that there are an >200 billion galaxies in the universe that apparently (after a NASA google) gives at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets.

When we are dealing with those sorts of numbers, I'd say that life, and for that matter intelligent life and, indeed technologically advanced intelligent life with the ability to travel vast distances, is not only possible, but pretty much a mathematical certainty.

Of course whether they have been here, or have any interest in coming is a different matter. I'm not sure it would end well for us if they did visit, but I think they are there somewhere.

Interesting article, but I guess that there are simply so many UFO sightings that they become less than sensational news stories, if at all.

The frustrating thing is that whatever anyone thinks it is, is purely specualtion. The fact that we think we know - but cannot prove it - has frustrated people since time began.

Thanks for the link.

el burro sabe más que tú

Close to zero. If you're going to the effort and undertaking that involves interseller travel, its likely to be for something more than just buzzing around a bit, and putting things up some hicks bottom and then going home.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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Based on the assumption that other civilisations would find interstellar travel as difficult as we would which is, in turn, based on what we know about the way the universe works, which is changing constantly, and it's fair to assume that, given even another few thousand years (a blink of an eye in terms of existence) we may well be looking at methods of transport we've not even dreamed of yet.

I think you are falling into the trap of applying human logic and current human experience to the subject.
For example, for any species capable of inter stella space travel there would probably be no pressure to find natural resources, but no one knows. They might have a vast experience of other life forms and have little interest in them beyond scientific curiosity, but we can't know. With no financial pressure on them they might be friendly, or they might just see us as sport, we can't know. They might even be us from the future. No way to know. One does wonder why they would buzz, seemingly pointlessly around our atmosphere or kidnap people and then put them back but that is only our perception of the situation. Alien abduction might be nonsense or it could be our own government doing it X files style. I have come to believe that the cow mutilation phenomenon was carried out by government officials testing livestock for radioactivity after nuclear tests in the desert but that is just my pet theory.
The real point is that we can't even begin to guess at the nature of aliens since we have no facts whatever to go on. Assumption does not cut it on this subject.
Anyone who claims to know anything is deluding themselves.

Very true, and the reason I am doing that, is because that's how intelligence is defined in relation to human behaviour and achievements. If we were to take a broader view of intelligent life, then there is no need to go into space to find it - it already exists here on the planet.

Obviously, these are assumptions, but they're reasonable ones, given the evidence we have at hand, that the development of 'human like' intelligence would require certain factors of physiology that would resemble humans, and some kind of similar evolutionary process and experience.

The likelihood, is at first, any development of interstellar travel, would require some kind of fundamental benefit to utilise - when its first developed. Obviously over time, it becomes cheaper and more available for less cost. But intitally, that break through, is going to be that species greatest achievement (and likely its most demanding in terms of commitment and effort).

Now if they have 'human like' intelligence, that is either driven by a need, or serious want. When we explored the world, we weren't just 'curious' we had an eye towards the benefit of those sponsoring the explorations - Colonisation.

And if they're capable of that kind of technology necessary to travel through space. Then we're going to resemble the tribes of Africa, Australia etc to them.

And it didn't really go so well for them. So the hope would always be that they're not 'intelligent like humans are'.

But then if we not looking for human like intelligence, then we don't need to look to the stars, we can look at our own world (Pall greater primates, Horses, Elephants, Dolphins and Whales all have reasonably demonstrable intelligent behaviour).

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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