Are we alone in the universe? @CNN [cnn.com]
I have no problem with the notion that we are probably not alone in this galaxy, and more certainly in the universe. However, it is a little like seeing something odd in the sky that does not lend itself to explanation and coming to the conclusion that it is a vehicle being operated by an extraterrestrial intelligence. That's just the wrong way to do things. It should remain an Unidentified Flying Object until sufficient evidence is available to make a reasonable and supportable guess.
Unless we can find some seriously radical method of extremely high-speed travel, we may as well be. It is laughable that so many people think we are visited by aliens constantly, when the distances are absolutely staggering. A signal from Voyager 1, traveling at the speed of light, takes 17 hours one way to reach Earth. That's 17 light-hours, not even close to one light year. Even if we are able to contact another civilization, the time it would take messages to get back and forth and the time it would take to make sense of them would be far to long to make much difference. Yet people actually worry about the possibility of alien invasions. Your chances of being hit by lightning are astronomically higher.