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We receive transmission of a mysterious radio signal. The source is a star nearly 10 light years away - more than 58 trillion miles from Earth. The answer to an age-old question has arrived - we are not alone in the universe. There are those of us who have always believed that we're not alone, not necessarily just the so-called "alien hunters," but also people who believe that other life is out there, and that whoever is out there may hold the answers to some of our age-old questions about creation and the history of the universe. Most of us have received this impression from Hollywood. Movies like "Star Wars," "Mission to Mars," and almost any "Star Trek" film have given us impressions of other civilizations from far-off planets in distant galaxies. But it was never just any sort of life form. It was always intelligent life. American Heritage Dictionary defines "intelligence" as, "the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge." In other words, the ability to think; to acquire and apply enough knowledge to keep a civilization going; to survive. The word "alien" is defined (in the same edition) as, "belonging to, characteristic of, or constituting another and very different place [or] society." This pretty much means anything pertaining to a lifestyle other than we know, whether it be of another class or another land. But more commonly, it is used to mean "not of Earth." So this brings up the question this little bit is based on - Is there intelligent alien life anywhere else in the universe? Thus far, scientists have only speculated on this possibility; while they say that it could be possible, most say it's highly improbable. The main reason is that no other found planets have the environment necessary for life to survive. According to these scientists, Earth is the only planet with the "perfect balance" required to sustain life. As far as we can tell, the majority of the planets in the Milky Way galaxy have either a very weak atmosphere or none at all. Of those atmospheres that do exist, virtually no carbon or oxygen is found; the dominant substances are hydrogen, nitrogen, methane or methane gas, or sulfur/sulfuric acid clouds. Also, the range of temperatures throughout the Milky Way is VERY extreme. Venus' temperature averages at 860 degrees Fahrenheit, while Pluto's is around 45 Kelvin (really cold). Furthermore, while some scientists have said that alien life could be possible, they emphasize that it would probably be little more than microorganisms and/or bacteria. Nothing of intelligence; nothing significant or capable of having an advanced civilization. I believe the fact that scientists are only speculating on this possibility is evidence of one of our biggest problems as humans: we limit our thinking entirely too much! Somehow we refuse to acknowledge, much less accept, the fact that we may not be the only intelligent beings in the universe; we think that the only life forms possible are those found on Earth. It's the typical "we're the superior life form" frame of mind; anything beyond what we're familiar with is inconceivable. First of all, I have found nothing - and I repeat, NOTHING - that says extra- terrestrial intelligent life forms have to be like those found on Earth.
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