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Astronomer: If Earth Is Average, We Should Find Alien Life Within 60 Light-Years
(www.sciencealert.com)
this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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That's assuming they develop technology like us. If they live in really short bursts they might never get to that point, or maybe develop something completely different. On the other hand, they might have really long lifespans, perhaps tens of thousands of years, and perceive time in a completely different manner.
We're looking for (relatively) high powered radio signals. Regardless of how alien critters evolve, they're going to have the same constraints on their radio technology as we do.
It is possible they'd have some reason for pouring a tonne of energy into loud radio broadcasts, but if they are using radio for communications (as our SETI searches assume), then they will have lots of incentives to stop screaming into the void. At which point, our searches will not find them.