On Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:12:57 -0700, "K_h" <KHolmes@SX729.com> wrote:

This contradiction can be resolved if the origin of life is far harder than 
commonly believed...

My thinking is that life is easy, and probably common. It's the part
about it becoming (technologically) intelligent that's more likely to be
difficult and rare.

I see nothing to suggest that there are many species on Earth poised to
become technological given a few million years of evolution. Most
species have been around and stable for at least that long. Given the
vast numbers of species on Earth, living and extinct, and the presence
of only one technological one- which happens to be of very recent origin
and likely on the edge of extinction itself- that seems like the weak
link in the Drake chain, and therefore a reasonable answer to the Fermi
Paradox.
_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com