Drake Equation - life in the universe

[Lux]

This is pretty cool

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120821-how-many-alien-worlds-exist

[erick]

Got my pessimistic answer - 250,000 communicating civilizations in the Milky Way.

So now the more difficult question - Why haven't we heard from them? :shrug:

[supernova1965]

Not difficult DISTANCE

[bojan]

Yes, distance..
And there may be other factors involved which are not the part of Drake's equation.

Try and google for the following:
"Fermi paradox"
"GRB extinction"
"GRB extinction Curcic"

[TrevorW]

Distance may not be an issue if some other race had developed near light speed or FTL spacecraft. However policy may dictate interference.

A lot of sci-fi (invasion) movies are based on the premise of taking over our resources but surely there are billions of planets capable of supplying those resources so why bother.

I've always leaned towards the Vulcan philosophy of no contact until we develop FTL travel

[AstralTraveller]

You call that pessimistic?? I got 36. And the chance that any two will exist at the same time is .....?? Bl**dy small.