According to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, the nearest technological civilization in the Milky Way could be roughly 33,000 light years away. For such a civilization to exist at the same time as humanity, it would need to have lasted for at least 280,000 years -- and potentially millions of years.
These findings highlight the overwhelming odds against discovering Earth-like planets that possess both plate tectonics and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere containing the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Taking these planetary requirements into account, the chances of success for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) appear slim, say Dr. Manuel Scherf and Professor Helmut Lammer of the Space Research Institute at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Graz.
"Extraterrestrial intelligences, ETIs, in our galaxy are probably pretty rare," says Scherf.
To read more, click here.