There are around 30 billion planets in our galaxy , and there are...

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

So, as fermi said, where are they.

We aren't advanced enough to see them, or are not looking in the right place at the right time.

With regards to the probes if someone was dumb enough to unleash an aggressive hegemonizing swarm it follows that someone would eradicate it for obvious reasons.

MarkHenderson wrote: »

If a tree falls in the woods will it kill a snail?

yes

What about the possibility of life, be it higher form or otherwise, being on BILLIONS of planets beyond the solar system...

...and yet remaining utterly IRRELEVANT for the entire remainder of human existence?

An equally possible situation.

Humanity is fatally flawed , at our core the majority are selfish , ignorant , violent race that learns little from our past. Sure , we have advanced technology and build cities etc etc but we are still murdering each other and are only a stones throw out of two world wars in the grand scheme of thing's, on a whole we don't really care about people outside our own little bubble (Minority do sure and of course there are good people) but a dime a dozen.

We will be our own downfall and demise no doubt about it , it's written in our DNA and history. Our sun will eventually burn out but I doubt we will survive to see it , the warning signs that we need to find a new planet to survive is there and that would take massive leaps in advanced technology and probably the whole world working together to even have a chance of achieving , we aren't capable of that...too greedy , human nature would prevent it.

Sad as it is , it's more likely we will advance AI and in some way integrate with that AI over the next 200 years...probably extend life expectancy due to implants etc but eventually again greed , arrogance will ruin us...It's more likely that AI will survive and superseed us on this planet , we will be the creators long gone when they advance off this planet and through space not hindered by Human biology or time and it'll be that AI that finds other life if it exists.