Other intelligent life-forms will differ greatly in appearance - they may resemble the creature in E.T. or startle us with their beauty - but life itself is common, I'm certain.
Frank DrakeRead
Right now, there could well be messages from the stars flying right through this room. Through you and me. And if we had the right receiver set up properly, we could detect them. I still get chills thinking about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the potential existence of extraterrestrial signals and the wonder of discovering them.
Frank Drake's quote captures the profound mystery of the universe, suggesting that there may be signals from distant stars that we are unaware of. It emphasizes the excitement and possibility of cosmic communication and the need for the right tools to detect such messages, evoking a sense of curiosity and awe about what lies beyond our earthly existence.
Themes
ExtraterrestrialSignalsCuriosityUniverseCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on astronomy, I might use this quote to inspire students about the search for extraterrestrial life.
More from Frank Drake
All quotes →While NASA talks about 'Are we alone?' as a number one question, they are putting zero money into searching for intelligent life. There's a big disconnect there.
Frank DrakeRead
Forty years as an astronomer have not quelled my enthusiasm for lying outside after dark, staring up at the stars. It isn't only the beauty of the night sky that thrills me. It's the sense I have that some of those points of light are the home stars of beings not so different from us, daily cares and all, who look across space with wonder, just as we do.
Frank DrakeRead
There was a magic about pulsars... no other things in the sky had such labels on them. Each one had its own distinct pulsing frequency, so it could be identified by anybody, including other creatures, after a long period of time and far, far away.
Frank DrakeRead
We send messages all the time, free of charge. There's a big shell out there now, 80 light-years around us. A civilization only a little more advanced than we are can pick those things up.
Frank DrakeRead
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