The head of the SETI research project, Dan Vetimer of the University of California at Berkeley, at a meeting with representatives of the US Congress, said that the likelihood of the existence of extraterrestrial life is almost 100%.
According to him, over the past 50 years, it has been established that the conditions necessary for the development of life are common in our galaxy. With a high degree of probability, we are not alone in the universe. If we extrapolate the obtained data, it becomes obvious that among the trillion planets in the galaxy there are many places for life.
It is likely that life and a developed intellect exist elsewhere, and such a probability pushes us to further scientific research. SETI Senior Astronomer Seth Shostak also told the US Congress that the chances of discovering the existence of extraterrestrial life are incredibly high. He believes that, subject to funding, this could happen in the next 20 years.
Wetimer and Shostak are unanimous on another issue as well. They are sure that people have not had a single meeting with representatives of an extraterrestrial civilization.