NIGHT in night out, the world’s television and movie screens radiate the
sights and sounds of extraterrestrial life. From Star Wars and Star
Trek to The X-Files, the message is clear: the Universe is
filled with alien life forms of all shapes and sizes, every conceivable level of
intelligence, and covering the gamut of attitudes from friendly benevolence to
outright hostility. The idea that planets with animal life are commonplace has
firmly taken root.
We don’t just have science fiction writers to thank for this, but two
celebrated astronomers. In 1973, Frank Drake and Carl Sagan gave us the Drake…
