
'Alien Megastructure' Star Targeted by $100M SETI Search - tekheletknight
http://www.space.com/34505-alien-megastructure-star-seti-search.html
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hackuser
Planets are far more common than we thought a little while ago. I assume that
makes alien life likely to be far more common too. As our technology improves,
such as pattern recognition and signal processing, I also would guess that we
can search far faster and more effectively and that our search speed and
accuracy will quickly improve.

Per Wikipedia, FWIW:

 _A 2013 study based on results from the Kepler spacecraft estimated that the
Milky Way contains at least as many planets as it does stars, resulting in
100–400 billion exoplanets_

When does it become critical, and not an interesting intellectual exercise, to
decide whether we want to find alien life and what to do if such a thing
happens.

(The discussion is well-worn, that it could be beneficial and that it could be
catastrophic, either due to superior technology, disease, or the endless
unexpected possibilities.)

