So, we discover/locate extraterrestrial intelligent alien life, then the really big and important question arises. "Do we exploit them or they us or can we cooperate? Until such event, back on Earth, the SETI programs and exoplanet hunting programs are providing meaningful work for scientists, new sundry consumer products for corporations, and potentially frightful weapons for governments. To put the daunting probability of our evolution into perspective, I recommend reviewing how we evolved through the periods of Earth's successive extinctions. IMO, we are one randomly fortunate species, and there just isn't any other alien species like us, physically or intellectually.