The Drake Equation is used to calculate the likely number for civilisations in the Universe
This is a question that scientists have been asking for hundreds of years. We are now almost certain that there is life elsewhere in the Universe; there are more stars in the Universe than there are grains of sand in all the beaches of the entire Earth. If only a small proportion of these stars has planets and only a small proportion of these planets has the conditions for life that still leaves thousands of possible lifeforms in our galaxy.
The Milky Way: Our Galaxy. Is it teeming with life?
Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11982757
Watch The Search for Life: The Drake Equation on BBC Four, Tuesday 14 December at 8pm or on iPlayer afterwards.
Filed under: General Science
