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I agree we shouldn't give up, especially as SETI doesn't cost much and is not on the taxpayer's dime.

There is also the real possibility that Earth is a fluke. Mostly because of the Moon forming event. Planets this small simply don't have moon's that big. A planet in the inner solar system with a moon that large would be expected to be the size of one of the gas giants. And yet the Moon is involved in almost every aspect from the earliest stages of microscopic evolution, to the highest endeavors of our scientific exploration.

For example most of the evolution purists indicate that the hotbed of early evolution was on the tidal basins where fresh and salt water alternate. Yet except for having a large moon, unlike the more typical small moons of Mars, we wouldn't have tides. So without the moon, life may have evolved, but would have remained much more primitive. In addition it was the moon forming collision that results in Earth having a molten core so late in it's life. Earth should have a solid core like Mars by now, except that the impact that formed the Moon warmed things up quite a bit. And it is that liquid core that give us our magnetosphere. And without that the sun's radiation would have sterilized the surface of Earth long ago.

So skip a few million years and Humans show up. We start doing that whole science thing. But the big kick start for science was when Galileo pointed a telescope at the Moon. And Newton invented the study of physics had he not been consumed with calculating the orbits of the Moon. And would we ever have ventured into space had the moon not been so close. I mean Mars is so distant that it would take a world wide effort and decades of work to mount a serious expedition. But the moon, well given the right inspiration one country did it in nine years.

And yet the moon was formed it the most ridiculously improbable event ever. The only way to knock off an object the size of the moon is to have a planet the size of mars hit the Earth, but not head on, that would just vaporize both worlds. No it had to hit at a very shallow angle while closing slowly from behind, bounce off, swing around due to mutual gravitation and hit the Earth again. I would like to see Oliver stone explain that magic bullet theory. I may not know the face of God, but his billiard ball swings around every 28 days.