In article <jh07a4d7oohrrc6i6tn78aa8niaeng097q@4ax.com>,
 Chris L Peterson <clp@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:

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.

It's the movement to the eukaryotic state (or equivalent) that is 
difficult, the rest happens in no time, relatively.