Scientists Find the Most Earth-like Planet Yet; A Quick Thought on the Prospect of E.T. Life

A news article came out a few days ago about astronomers finding the most Earth-like planet yet. See the story here: CNN article

I am one of those people who suspect (and wish, as well) that there is life outside our own planet. By life, I mean that it could be in its simplest forms or, better yet, in complex variety capable of establishing civilizations. If it were so and we are able to find one within this lifetime (which is very very improbable in itself), such an event would be far better than my wildest childhood fantasies coming true.

I came across the Drake Equation a few years back, when I read Michael Crichton's Sphere. The equation attempts to estimate the probable number of extraterrestrial civilizations we can come into contact with. It is as follows (from Wikipedia):

N = R* × f_p × n_e × f_l × f_i × f_c × L

where:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy, with which we might hope to be able to communicate;

and

R* is the rate of star formation in our galaxy

f_p is the fraction of those stars that have planets

n_e is average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets

f_l is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point

f_i is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life

f_c is the fraction of the above that are willing and able to communicate

L is the expected lifetime of such a civilization for the period that it can communicate across interstellar space.

Any person can play with the equation and assign values on the variables. Of course, the values will be subject to mere speculations, biases, and ignorance. Not without its criticisms, the equation is still an interesting note in any discussion on extraterrestrial civilizations.