[RightWhale]

we are waaaaaay out on the end of an inconsequential arm of our home galaxy

It's true we inhabit an ordinary star system in a minor arm of the Milky Way far from downtown. Our star is also in the middle of a vacuum bubble 500 light years across that was cleared out by a supernova sometime back. We're not only living in a rural area, but in a rural area that has been stripped of a lot of natural resources such as interstellar gas of various kinds.

[Just another Joe]

You mean, we're not only liviing in the boonies, but we also live in the middle of a STRIP MINE?

[WRhine]

We're not only living in a rural area, but in a rural area that has been stripped of a lot of natural resources such as interstellar gas of various kinds.

This kind of galactic environment might be one of the conditions necessary to spawn life. It spawned us. The interior of the Milky Way may be just too active and hot of a place to be conductive to life.

[hoot2]

"we are waaaaaay out on the end of an inconsequential arm of our home galaxy"

we like to think of it as, solar suburbs