Nabeshin,
EXCELLENT answer. And I am not referring to you with this comment. But as science has always been my passion, the one scar on the profession IMO is the fact that when theories are developed. They are fact. Until one rolls along that makes more sense.
That is not how facts are learned...
...or maybe not a definate "no", but a positive "much more rare than scientists predict".
I have been pondering this question, and every scientist I hear speak on the matter does the famous "alien life equation".
What they fail to do is factor in a few variables along with how many planets...
I have actually written a paper on this.
I mean, if you just think about how everything else works, it just makes sense.
I remember being told "matter can neither be created or destroyed", and in the same class being told that after black holes spend eons sucking up matter, and then they...
Now this is eerie. I am writing a book and need a physicist to talk with for research purposes, and this is exactly one of the topics I need info about.
Maybe I should just read through all the forums and I might find all my answers..lol