From Michel Julier
The hypothesis of competition for resources on a cosmic scale creating the conditions for the evolution of discreet extra-terrestrials (16 April, p 19), who lie low to avoid exploitation, is interesting but speculative.
There is another possible reason for ET staying quiet – our biologies could be different and contact could be a hazard. H. G. Wells, in 1898’s The War of the Worlds, suggested Martian invaders would be killed by terrestrial bacteria. But he hadn’t imagined there would be Martian bacteria. If two different biologies, each with its own bacteria, should meet, it’s anyone’s guess which one would survive.
Montpellier, France
