Discovering the Universe

TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO nobody had any idea whether there are any planets orbiting other stars. It was the great question of the day. I grew up asking it. Millions of people, new age psychic in touch types, might tell you that they knew all along that the universe is full of stars, planets, and life, but don't believe it; they're all just faking it. I was still asking the question at forty in 1995, when our new powerful telescopes found the first planet orbiting a star other than the sun. I had suspected that I would never live to know the answer, but, suddenly, I did. One thing led to another, and twenty years later we had discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars. We not only now know that there are indeed other worlds out there, we also know that every single stat in the galaxy has its own solar system of planets in orbit around it, and we further know that many of these planets are earthlike, in size, and in distance from the their stars. Billions of stars, trillions of planets. It appears for all the world(s) that the chancec that some other planet in the universe has life, many more than one, maybe many more than one. There are millions of earthlike planets which look like they might support life. its exciting. It has never been unreasonable to suppose that we are along in the universe. That's where the evidence pointed. Now, however, for the first time, really, it is perfectly reasonable to believe that we are not alone. The planets are there. so too, in all probability, is life. Intelligent life, probably. Every advanced species in the universe, every species which reached a certain level of scientific understanding, probably, like humanity, faces the twin terrors of nuclear weapons and climate change. All life metabolizes energy and creates byproducts which impact the environment. The problem of efficient disposition of harmful by products, such as excess carbon in the atmosphere, which we humans are dealing with now, doubtless arises elsewhere. Perhaps some species solve the problem and survive, and some perhaps do not. We humans are currently making that very decision, not yet having finalized it. My dream now is to discover proof of intelligent life in the universe before I die. I doubt I will live long enough. On the other hand, that's what I said about planets.