Gribbin, John, "Alone in the Milky Way: Why we are probably the only intelligent life in the galaxy", Scientific American, vol. 319, no. 3 (September 2018), pp. 94–99. "Is life likely to exist elsewhere in the [Milky Way] galaxy? Almost certainly yes, given the speed with which it appeared on Earth. Is another technological civilization likely to exist today? Almost certainly no, given the chain of circumstances that led to our existence. These considerations suggest that we are unique not just on our planet but in the whole Milky Way. And if our planet is so special, it becomes all the more important to preserve this unique world for ourselves, our descendants and the many creatures that call Earth home." (p. 99.)

Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Etymology 2 History Toggle History subsection 2.1 Prehistoric 2.2 Neolithic 2.3 Ancient 2.4 Pre-modern 2.5 Modern 3 Impact Toggle Impact subsection 3.1 Social 3.1.1 Jobs 3.1.2 Security 3.2 Environmental 3.2.1 Pollution 4 Philosophy 5 Ethics 6 Futures studies Toggle Futures studies subsection 6.1 Existential risk 7 Emerging technologies 8 Movements Toggle Movements subsection 8.1 Appropriate technology 8.2 Technological utopianism 8.3 Anti-technology backlash 9 Relation to science and engineering 10 Other animal species 11 In popular culture 12 See also 13 References Toggle References subsection 13.1 Citations 13.2 Sources 14 Further reading Toggle the table of contents

A steam turbine with the case opened, an example of energy technology

conceptual knowledge

Technology