Could we be alone in our part of the galaxy, or more dramatic
still, could we be the only technological society in the
universe? Our Galaxy Should Be Teeming With Civilizations, But
Where Are They? Is there obvious proof that we could be alone in
the Galaxy? Enrico Fermi thought so -- and he was a pretty smart
guy. Might he have been right? It's been a hundred years since
Fermi, an icon of physics, was born (and nearly a half-century
since he died). He's best remembered for building a working
atomic reactor in a squash court. But in 1950, Fermi made a
seemingly innocuous lunchtime remark that has caught and held
the attention of every SETI researcher since. (How many luncheon
quips have you made with similar consequence?) The remark came
while Fermi was discussing with his mealtime mates the
possibility that many sophisticated societies populate the
Galaxy. They thought it reasonable to assume that we have a lot
of cosmic company. But somewhere between one sentence and the
next, Fermi's supple brain realized