---
title: "49 Our Quotes By Seth Shostak"
description: "49 Our quotes by Seth Shostak. Plus more from Seth Shostak and more Our sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png"
---

> [Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will interact with them face-to-face, thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-cosmos-is-flush-with/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png)

> [Our retinas and brains have been wired by a hundred million years of evolution to find outlines in a visually complex landscape.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/our-retinas-and-brains-have-been-wired-by-a-hundred-million-years-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/seth-shostak-2047_been_our-retinas-and-brains-have-been-wired-b_884996.jpg)

> [One of the jovian moons, Europa, is coated with twice as much liquid water as is sloshing around our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/one-of-the-jovian-moons-europa-is-coated-with-twice-as-much-liquid/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/seth-shostak-2047_around_one-of-the-jovian-moons-europa-is-coated_1665882.png)

> [Mountains aren't eternal: even the most imposing massifs are smoothed away by weathering in a few hundred million years or less. Plate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/mountains-aren-t-eternal-even-the-most-imposing-massifs-are-smoothed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/seth-shostak-2047_away_mountains-aren-t-eternal-even-the-most-i_1533754.png)

> [It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-bears-mentioning-that-the-milky-way-is-only-one-of-150-billion/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/seth-shostak-2047_bears_it-bears-mentioning-that-the-milky-way-i_3133384.png)

> [A practical way to travel between the stars is a must-have for space opera, and a sine qua non for our frequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/a-practical-way-to-travel-between-the-stars-is-a-must-have-for-space/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_a-practical-way-to-travel-between-the-st_2608707.png)

> [Our brains are continuing to evolve, and perhaps a few tens of thousands of years from now, our descendants will walk around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/our-brains-are-continuing-to-evolve-and-perhaps-a-few-tens-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/seth-shostak-2047_allowing_our-brains-are-continuing-to-evolve-and_1911689.jpg)

> [If aliens are really hanging out in our 'hood, it's hard to imagine any other fact more worthy of study. If not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our-hood-it-s-hard-to-imagine-any/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/seth-shostak-2047_alien_if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our_3002616.png)

> [Exploration is an oft-lauded human activity, and one that resonates in the same way that music and good stories do. It's hard-wired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/exploration-is-an-oft-lauded-human-activity-and-one-that-resonates-in/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2c/seth-shostak-2047_accept_exploration-is-an-oft-lauded-human-activ_1666281.png)

> [Humans have existed only for the last 0.001 percent of cosmic time. All of which says that - unless the Homo sapiens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/humans-have-existed-only-for-the-last-0-001-percent-of-cosmic-time/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/seth-shostak-2047_beyond_humans-have-existed-only-for-the-last-0_2205316.png)

> [Any beings advanced enough to traverse interstellar distances are at least a thousand years beyond our technical level. Spending gobs of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/any-beings-advanced-enough-to-traverse-interstellar-distances-are-at/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/seth-shostak-2047_advanced_any-beings-advanced-enough-to-traverse-i_3152816.png)

> [It's worth noting that invoking God as the entity who set our universe in motion isn't contradicted by the data. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-s-worth-noting-that-invoking-god-as-the-entity-who-set-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/seth-shostak-2047_being_it-s-worth-noting-that-invoking-god-as-t_825771.jpg)

> [Each year, thousands of UFOs are sighted and reported, which is an impressive tally of unidentified aerial phenomena. Surveys show that roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/each-year-thousands-of-ufos-are-sighted-and-reported-which-is-an/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a6/seth-shostak-2047_aerial_each-year-thousands-of-ufos-are-sighted_2353169.png)

> [Since the Renaissance, a concept called 'progress' has been baked into our society. Progress - founded on an accumulation of knowledge through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/since-the-renaissance-a-concept-called-progress-has-been-baked-into/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/seth-shostak-2047_accumulate_since-the-renaissance-a-concept-called-p_2214352.jpg)

> [Every day, the temperature of Sol's surface increases by five billionths of a degree, a change of no consequence for thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/every-day-the-temperature-of-sol-s-surface-increases-by-five/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/seth-shostak-2047_change_every-day-the-temperature-of-sol-s-surfa_1863337.jpg)

> [The mission of NASA's Kepler telescope is to lift the scales from our eyes and reveal to us just how typical our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-mission-of-nasa-s-kepler-telescope-is-to-lift-the-scales-from-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_the-mission-of-nasa-s-kepler-telescope-i_1678288.jpg)

> [The planets and moons of our solar system are blatantly visible because they reflect sunlight. Without the nearby Sun, these planets would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-system-are-blatantly-visible/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg)

> [We're not just any star stuff, most of which is humdrum hydrogen and listless helium. Our bodies include fancier ingredients like carbon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/we-re-not-just-any-star-stuff-most-of-which-is-humdrum-hydrogen-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c6/seth-shostak-2047_any_we-re-not-just-any-star-stuff-most-of-wh_785922.png)

> [The limitless content of our universe might be only one instance of a large (and possibly infinite) number of other universes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-limitless-content-of-our-universe-might-be-only-one-instance-of-a/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/seth-shostak-2047_content_the-limitless-content-of-our-universe-mi_1476080.png)

> [Sure, our three-pound brains might be inadequate to understand the universe. But perhaps they're just good enough to build something that can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-our-three-pound-brains-might-be-inadequate-to-understand-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/seth-shostak-2047_brains_sure-our-three-pound-brains-might-be-ina_2532502.png)

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/seth-shostak-2047_active_studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-a_13572.jpg)

> [Are we the only members of the Galaxy that can actually understand what a galaxy is? Could Homo sapiens really be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/are-we-the-only-members-of-the-galaxy-that-can-actually-understand/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/seth-shostak-2047_actually_are-we-the-only-members-of-the-galaxy-th_2072937.jpg)

> [When it comes to brains, size matters. It's not all that matters, of course. Whales and dolphins have brains that are larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/when-it-comes-to-brains-size-matters-it-s-not-all-that-matters-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/seth-shostak-2047_also_when-it-comes-to-brains-size-matters-it_726010.png)

> [Data from orbiting telescopes like NASA's Kepler Mission hint that the tally of habitable planets in our galaxy is many billion. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/data-from-orbiting-telescopes-like-nasa-s-kepler-mission-hint-that/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/seth-shostak-2047_billion_data-from-orbiting-telescopes-like-nasa_1990949.png)

> [It's hard to imagine anything more interesting than learning how we're woven into the enormous tapestry of existence. Where did our universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-s-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-interesting-than-learning-how-we/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/seth-shostak-2047_academia_it-s-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-inter_1969935.png)

> [We'll be 'outsourcing' our creativity and our thought processes to manufactured components that could be inconspicuously implanted beneath our coiffeurs. Welcome to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/we-ll-be-outsourcing-our-creativity-and-our-thought-processes-to/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/seth-shostak-2047_beneath_we-ll-be-outsourcing-our-creativity-and_2850581.png)

> [Our computers double in capability on time scales of only a few years. It's hardly outrageous to believe that we will successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/our-computers-double-in-capability-on-time-scales-of-only-a-few-years/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/seth-shostak-2047_artificial_our-computers-double-in-capability-on-ti_248626.png)

> [Astronomers still can't decide what the shape of our universe is. Is it closed and finite, which is to say, is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/astronomers-still-can-t-decide-what-the-shape-of-our-universe-is-is/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/seth-shostak-2047_beyond_astronomers-still-can-t-decide-what-the_1647238.png)

> [In days gone by, scientists would speak solemnly about our solar system's 'habitable zone' - a theoretical region extending from Venus to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-solemnly-about-our-solar/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/seth-shostak-2047_about_in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-s_1960851.png)

> [Just knowing that there's somebody else out there - that what's happened on this planet has also happened in many other places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/just-knowing-that-there-s-somebody-else-out-there-that-what-s/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/seth-shostak-2047_also_just-knowing-that-there-s-somebody-else_693374.png)

> [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/seth-shostak-2047_about_about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to_153101.png)

> [Thanks to the fact that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, and invoking a bunch of Newtonian physics, you can deduce that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t-a-perfect-sphere-and-invoking/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/seth-shostak-2047_bunch_thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t_1075565.png)

> [A century ago, scientists believed there was only one obvious stomping ground for alien biology in our solar system: Mars. Because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/a-century-ago-scientists-believed-there-was-only-one-obvious-stomping/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/seth-shostak-2047_alien_a-century-ago-scientists-believed-there_496372.png)

> [Recent results from astronomers who study the occasional gravitational lensing of unknown worlds by intervening stars suggest that orphan planets could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/recent-results-from-astronomers-who-study-the-occasional/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_recent-results-from-astronomers-who-stud_748900.png)

> [It's hardly a secret that I'm skeptical of declarations that the aliens are out and about on our planet. Still, I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-s-hardly-a-secret-that-i-m-skeptical-of-declarations-that-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/seth-shostak-2047_about_it-s-hardly-a-secret-that-i-m-skeptical_559136.jpg)

> [The bottom line is, like, one in five stars has at least one planet where life might spring up. That's a fantastically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-bottom-line-is-like-one-in-five-stars-has-at-least-one-planet/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_the-bottom-line-is-like-one-in-five-star_2630493.png)

> [The strongest signals leaking off our planet are radar transmissions, not television or radio. The most powerful radars, such as the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-strongest-signals-leaking-off-our-planet-are-radar-transmissions/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/seth-shostak-2047_could_the-strongest-signals-leaking-off-our-pl_2803087.png)

> ['Dating Game' wasn't social commentary, political analysis, Shakespearean-level drama or even blunt-force comedy. It was just the televised equivalent of meeting someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/dating-game-wasn-t-social-commentary-political-analysis-shakespearean/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ae/seth-shostak-2047_analysis_dating-game-wasn-t-social-commentary-pol_1882958.png)

> [The cosmos is three times as old as Earth. During most of creation's 14 billion year history, our solar system wasn't around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-cosmos-is-three-times-as-old-as-earth-during-most-of-creation-s/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da9/seth-shostak-2047_around_the-cosmos-is-three-times-as-old-as-eart_2825916.png)

> [The Moon is a ball of left-over debris from a cosmic collision that took place more than four billion years ago. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-moon-is-a-ball-of-left-over-debris-from-a-cosmic-collision-that/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/seth-shostak-2047_asteroid_the-moon-is-a-ball-of-left-over-debris-f_2729068.jpg)

## Other authors on Our

## More by Seth Shostak

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

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                        "text": "It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of these will have its own complement of planets.",
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                        "text": "Humans have existed only for the last 0.001 percent of cosmic time. All of which says that - unless the Homo sapiens brain is the one-and-only instance of cogitating machinery - nearly all the intelligence that's out there is beyond our level. And that intelligence is more than just a little bit beyond.",
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                        "text": "Since the Renaissance, a concept called 'progress' has been baked into our society. Progress - founded on an accumulation of knowledge through experience (and in the case of science, through experiment). To build on the past rather than endlessly relive it. That's what separates us from the beasts.",
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                        "text": "Every day, the temperature of Sol's surface increases by five billionths of a degree, a change of no consequence for thousands of millennia to come. But a few hundred million years from now, barring a fix by our descendants, this relentless heating will substantially change Earth's biosphere in ways that might not be survivable for us.",
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                        "text": "Data from orbiting telescopes like NASA's Kepler Mission hint that the tally of habitable planets in our galaxy is many billion. If E.T.'s not out there, then Earth is more than merely special - it's some sort of miracle.",
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                        "text": "We'll be 'outsourcing' our creativity and our thought processes to manufactured components that could be inconspicuously implanted beneath our coiffeurs. Welcome to the Borg. You might not be entirely comfortable with such cybernetic enhancements, but all the smart money says it's going to happen.",
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                        "text": "Just knowing that there's somebody else out there - that what's happened on this planet has also happened in many other places - that might change our lives in a very subtle way, but it's interesting to know and worth looking for.",
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                        "text": "Recent results from astronomers who study the occasional gravitational lensing of unknown worlds by intervening stars suggest that orphan planets could be at least as numerous as the stars. In other words, there could be hundreds of billions of orphan worlds shuffling through our galaxy.",
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                        "text": "The strongest signals leaking off our planet are radar transmissions, not television or radio. The most powerful radars, such as the one mounted on the Arecibo telescope (used to study the ionosphere and map asteroids) could be detected with a similarly sized antenna at a distance of nearly 1,000 light-years.",
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                        "text": "'Dating Game' wasn't social commentary, political analysis, Shakespearean-level drama or even blunt-force comedy. It was just the televised equivalent of meeting someone at a bar. But it appealed to our most basic Darwinian instinct: selecting a good mate. You can't go wrong when a show's premise is hard-wired into human DNA.",
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