🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 77 (from laksa164)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa077.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://medium.com/everyday-science/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://medium.com/everyday-science/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science\/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c","crawl_time":1774298738,"first_indexed_time":0,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,medium!\/everyday-science\/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c s443","src_root_hash":"13179037029838926277","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Do Aliens Exist?. Probably. It all depends on what you… | by Rosie Alderson, PhD | Everyday Science | Medium","meta_descriptions":["Do Aliens Exist? Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for… I remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that …"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for…\n7 min read\nFeb 21, 2021\n--\nPress enter or click to view image in full size\nPhoto by\nRyan Hutton\non\nUnsplash\nI\nremember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe.\nOf course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary.\nIn my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet,\n51 Pegasi b\n, was only discovered in 1995.\nHowever, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be\ninfinite\n. So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent\nIpsos survey\n.\nIn terms of\nany\nlife — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes.\nThis is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an\narticle\nby the National Geographic. We now think…","attrs_markdown":"[Sitemap](https:\/\/medium.com\/sitemap\/sitemap.xml)\n\n[Open in app](https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)\n\nSign up\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/medium.com\/m\/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Feveryday-science%2Fdo-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)\n\n[Medium Logo](https:\/\/medium.com\/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)\n\nGet app\n\n[Write](https:\/\/medium.com\/m\/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------)\n\n[Search](https:\/\/medium.com\/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)\n\nSign up\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/medium.com\/m\/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Feveryday-science%2Fdo-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)\n\n![](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:64:64\/1*dmbNkD5D-u45r44go_cf0g.png)\n\n[Everyday Science](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science?source=post_page---publication_nav-a2a9b028db30-6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n·\n\n[![Everyday Science](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:76:76\/1*WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_sidebar-a2a9b028db30-6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\nDelving into the science and technology in our everyday lives\n\nMember-only story\n\n# Do Aliens Exist?\n## Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for…\n[![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:64:64\/1*fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n7 min read\n\n·\n\nFeb 21, 2021\n\n\\--\n\n2\n\nShare\n\nPress enter or click to view image in full size\n\n![]()\n\nPhoto by [Ryan Hutton](https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@ryan_hutton_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)\n\nI remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe.\n\nOf course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary.\n\nIn my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet, [51 Pegasi b](https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.co.uk\/2019\/03\/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it), was only discovered in 1995.\n\nHowever, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be [infinite](http:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Is_the_Universe_finite_or_infinite_An_interview_with_Joseph_Silk). So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent [Ipsos survey](https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-us\/americans-believe-in-ufos-aliens).\n\nIn terms of *any* life — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes.\n\nThis is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an [article](https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.co.uk\/2019\/03\/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it) by the National Geographic. We now think…\n\n\\--\n\n\\--\n\n2\n\n[![Everyday Science](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:96:96\/1*WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[![Everyday Science](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:128:128\/1*WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Published in Everyday Science](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[455 followers](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science\/followers?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n·[Last published Feb 5, 2026](https:\/\/medium.com\/everyday-science\/heres-why-you-do-or-don-t-have-an-outie-belly-button-9dcdc83aa0db?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\nDelving into the science and technology in our everyday lives\n\n[![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:96:96\/1*fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:128:128\/1*fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Written by Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[2\\.5K followers](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson\/followers?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n·[370 following](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson\/following?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n(Hungry) Science Nerd: educator, writer and general foodie.\n\n## Responses (2)\nSee all responses\n\n[Help](https:\/\/help.medium.com\/hc\/en-us?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Status](https:\/\/status.medium.com\/?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[About](https:\/\/medium.com\/about?autoplay=1&source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Careers](https:\/\/medium.com\/jobs-at-medium\/work-at-medium-959d1a85284e?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Press](mailto:pressinquiries@medium.com)\n\n[Blog](https:\/\/blog.medium.com\/?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Privacy](https:\/\/policy.medium.com\/medium-privacy-policy-f03bf92035c9?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Rules](https:\/\/policy.medium.com\/medium-rules-30e5502c4eb4?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Terms](https:\/\/policy.medium.com\/medium-terms-of-service-9db0094a1e0f?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n[Text to speech](https:\/\/speechify.com\/medium?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)","attrs_readable_markdown":"## Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for…\n[![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fill:64:64\/1*fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https:\/\/medium.com\/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)\n\n7 min read Feb 21, 2021\n\n\\--\n\nPress enter or click to view image in full size\n\nPhoto by [Ryan Hutton](https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@ryan_hutton_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)\n\nI remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe.\n\nOf course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary.\n\nIn my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet, [51 Pegasi b](https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.co.uk\/2019\/03\/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it), was only discovered in 1995.\n\nHowever, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be [infinite](http:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Is_the_Universe_finite_or_infinite_An_interview_with_Joseph_Silk). So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent [Ipsos survey](https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-us\/americans-believe-in-ufos-aliens).\n\nIn terms of *any* life — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes.\n\nThis is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an [article](https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.co.uk\/2019\/03\/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it) by the National Geographic. We now think…","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

24 days ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0.8 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://medium.com/everyday-science/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c
Last Crawled	2026-03-23 20:45:38 (24 days ago)
First Indexed	not set
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	Do Aliens Exist?. Probably. It all depends on what you… \| by Rosie Alderson, PhD \| Everyday Science \| Medium
Meta Description	Do Aliens Exist? Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for… I remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that …
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for… 7 min read Feb 21, 2021 -- Press enter or click to view image in full size Photo by Ryan Hutton on Unsplash I remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe. Of course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary. In my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet, 51 Pegasi b , was only discovered in 1995. However, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be infinite . So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent Ipsos survey . In terms of any life — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes. This is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an article by the National Geographic. We now think…
Markdown	[Sitemap](https://medium.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml) [Open in app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Sign up [Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Feveryday-science%2Fdo-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------) [Medium Logo](https://medium.com/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Get app [Write](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------) [Search](https://medium.com/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Sign up [Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Feveryday-science%2Fdo-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------) ![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:64:64/1dmbNkD5D-u45r44go_cf0g.png) [Everyday Science](https://medium.com/everyday-science?source=post_page---publication_nav-a2a9b028db30-6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) · [![Everyday Science](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:76:76/1WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https://medium.com/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_sidebar-a2a9b028db30-6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) Delving into the science and technology in our everyday lives Member-only story # Do Aliens Exist? ## Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for… [![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:64:64/1fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) 7 min read · Feb 21, 2021 \-- 2 Share Press enter or click to view image in full size ![]() Photo by [Ryan Hutton](https://unsplash.com/@ryan_hutton_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) I remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe. Of course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary. In my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet, [51 Pegasi b](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/2019/03/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it), was only discovered in 1995. However, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be [infinite](http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Is_the_Universe_finite_or_infinite_An_interview_with_Joseph_Silk). So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent [Ipsos survey](https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/americans-believe-in-ufos-aliens). In terms of any* life — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes. This is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an [article](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/2019/03/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it) by the National Geographic. We now think… \-- \-- 2 [![Everyday Science](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:96:96/1WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https://medium.com/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [![Everyday Science](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:128:128/1WpBWTzZWns20s7x06IhJDA.png)](https://medium.com/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Published in Everyday Science](https://medium.com/everyday-science?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [455 followers](https://medium.com/everyday-science/followers?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) ·[Last published Feb 5, 2026](https://medium.com/everyday-science/heres-why-you-do-or-don-t-have-an-outie-belly-button-9dcdc83aa0db?source=post_page---post_publication_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) Delving into the science and technology in our everyday lives [![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:96:96/1fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:128:128/1fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Written by Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [2\.5K followers](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson/followers?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) ·[370 following](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson/following?source=post_page---post_author_info--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) (Hungry) Science Nerd: educator, writer and general foodie. ## Responses (2) See all responses [Help](https://help.medium.com/hc/en-us?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Status](https://status.medium.com/?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [About](https://medium.com/about?autoplay=1&source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Careers](https://medium.com/jobs-at-medium/work-at-medium-959d1a85284e?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Press](mailto:pressinquiries@medium.com) [Blog](https://blog.medium.com/?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Privacy](https://policy.medium.com/medium-privacy-policy-f03bf92035c9?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Rules](https://policy.medium.com/medium-rules-30e5502c4eb4?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Terms](https://policy.medium.com/medium-terms-of-service-9db0094a1e0f?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) [Text to speech](https://speechify.com/medium?source=post_page-----6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------)
Readable Markdown	## Probably. It all depends on what you are looking for… [![Rosie Alderson, PhD](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:64:64/1fgxc1RVfqMOGlQbEFMxh9A.png)](https://medium.com/@rosiealderson?source=post_page---byline--6d6789772c3c---------------------------------------) 7 min read Feb 21, 2021 \-- Press enter or click to view image in full size Photo by [Ryan Hutton](https://unsplash.com/@ryan_hutton_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) I remember it distinctly, wriggling inside my duvet cocoon, my seven-year-old self, wide awake and wide-eyed, convinced that some black-eyed, ghoulish green, long-limbed creature, was going to pop out of my wardrobe. Of course, the ghoulish green creature was one character in a large cast of childhood bogeymen. The fear was real but the creature: imaginary. In my childhood, saying that aliens were real was to align yourself with fantasy: a land of witches, werewolves and vampires. Perhaps this is not so surprising, since the first exoplanet, [51 Pegasi b](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/2019/03/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it), was only discovered in 1995. However, as I’ve grown older, I find myself less dismissive — the universe is unimaginably huge, it may well be [infinite](http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Is_the_Universe_finite_or_infinite_An_interview_with_Joseph_Silk). So, surely, the chance of life popping up somewhere else in this huge expanse is not zero? Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking this, with 66% of Americans reporting that they believed in extra-terrestrial life according to a recent [Ipsos survey](https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/americans-believe-in-ufos-aliens). In terms of any* life — including singled celled organisms such as microbes — the answer is, probably, yes. This is based on a simple mathematical calculation, as described by astrophysicist Sara Seager, in an [article](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/2019/03/life-probably-exists-beyond-earth-so-how-do-we-find-it) by the National Geographic. We now think…
Shard	77 (laksa)
Root Hash	13179037029838926277
Unparsed URL	com,medium!/everyday-science/do-aliens-exist-6d6789772c3c s443