I've been wondering this for a while.If life is fairly unlikely, and I thought that's what scientists thought, then why is it that whenever I read a news item about our probes exploring our solar system, they always seem to EXPECT to find life?Is this what actual scientists think? Or is it just the article writers, raising the sexy possibility to get readers' attention?What is the current thinking about how prevelant life is?I do realize they're looking for microbes, not civilizations.And I wasn't talking about life being ANYWHERE (in, say the entire galaxy, or other galaxies), so much as EVERYWHERE. Or at least everywhere there's water.As soon as I read "astronomers think there could be water" say on a moon of Jupiter, or on Mars, the next sentence talks about them looking for life.Wish I'd asked which of you are astronomers; if other people could say that, too, I'd appreciate it.It DOES seem likely to me that there's other life of some kind somewhere; I just don't expect to find it in our solar system.Sigh.Looks like no one is going to answer the question I asked, which was about the chances of life in our solar system.Not life anywhere.Not civilization.Any takers?Any astronomers?

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I think writers try and sugar coat articles to capture the readers attention.

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