[SES1066]

This is an optimist versus pessimists game and I tend more towards the 'Rare Earth Hypothesis' than this concept that the Earth and life are common. The relatively new concept of Galaxies having a 'life zone' where hard radiation is within acceptable limits reduces the 'Drake Equation' greatly. Add to it that there may be some life forms so outre as to be unidentifiable and thus non-communicative, and we might be a solitary natural accident OR a Deity event. Right now I am waiting for further study because there is insufficient proof in either direction.

[samtheman]

I agree with you about Rare Earth. In my opinion, that sums up the situation. Not only do you have to be far enough from the center of a galaxy to escape the worst of the radiation, but you have to be close enough in to get plenty of metals in your planetary makeup. It’s a thin band around the galactic core that meets those two qualifications.

[SmallGovRepub]

I think it is more likely than not that there is life on other plants. The vast majority wouldn't have life though and most that do have life would have very primitive forms of life. I wouldn't think life on other planets is common necessarily, just that in an infinite universe with untold numbers of galaxies there has to be life on some of these planets. Some of it is probably intelligent life. There are probably even planets out there where life has evolved much more than life here and planets where life evolved as much or more than it has here million of years ago and now there is no life. It's just hard fro me to believe that in an infinite universe with so many planets that this is the only one that has had life.

[grey_whiskers]

I think the surest evidence AGAINT intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe is the following.

All anecdotal events of "close encounters" are discredited primarily because they are reported by unreliable witnesses--those with unstable lives, chemical dependency issues, rednecks. Surely, we are told, if the aliens wanted to contact us, they'd get in touch with the world leaders.

But somehow, we got through eight years with Bill Clinton in the White House with nary a peep from the aliens.

So where were the aliens then?

QED.

Cheers!