Proving the existence of aliens was a negligible conjecture until Yuri Milner literally bet on it. For many, this search may have a low probability. But don't you think the universe is too big for us to be all alone? There has to be someone else out there.
And when we do find someone out there, what then? How will we communicate? What should be our terms? How should we code our message? In Elvish? Klingon? Wookiee? Binary?
What should be our message to them? Should we consider our Malthusian scenario and say “Earth is full. Go away.”
Or should we give them a friendly warning? “There are a lot of places on earth where common sense doesn’t apply, so brace yourself,”
Maybe we should let the fear of the unknown get ahead of us and lock ’em all up?
Milner has already announced a whopping $1 million for the best message. Hey, what do we know – the need for an ideal message might not come up at all. At the end of the day, whether Milner's search is a success or not, the only thing that scares me is the possibility of us being alone. Won't it be disappointing to know that we are the best creation that the universe could offer?
