Can We Guess If You Believe in Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can We Guess If You Believe in Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life?
Image: Haiting Yu / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Have you ever heard of the Drake Equation? Sadly it has nothing to do with Drake the singer but everything to do with Frank Drake, a radio astronomer who was trying to figure out what the odds were on our ability to find and communicate with alien life. That sounds straightforward, right? Except that there are about a half dozen variables, none of which science can pin down. Long story short, there's no real answer for the Drake equation, and we have no idea what the odds are on ever contacting alien life. A big part of the reason is that we don't know if there is any extraterrestrial life to contact. It's hard to talk to someone who may or may not even exist.

The question of alien life doesn't have a lot of science behind it right now. Is there life out there? Is it intelligent? Some people are confident in the odds and assume that of course there must be life, just look at all the life on Earth alone! Others are not so convinced - there's nothing else in our solar system, and we haven't even found a planet that looks like it could sustain life. Maybe we're an anomaly. Maybe, maybe, maybe. So, which side of the coin are you on? Answer a few questions, and we'll guess what you think about finding intelligent life out there!


There is no end of stories featuring aliens. Which fictional aliens do you think are the most realistic?
Anything in the "Star Trek" universe
E.T.
None of them seems realistic to me.
Xenomorphs

Advertisement

What do you feel is the biggest benefit of space travel and exploration?
Discovering the unknown
Expanding our world
I think it's a waste of money, really.
Access to resources

Advertisement

When do you think a human will set foot on Mars?
Within 10 years
I'm not sure.
Whenever they get around to it
Within 25 years

Advertisement

The moon landing was one of the biggest events in all of history. Do you think we should go back?
Of course!
If there's a reason
Why?
Yes, we should build a base there.

Advertisement

What's your opinion on space tourism?
I think it's awesome.
It's pricey but cool, I guess.
Not for me
I would love to go to space sometime.

Advertisement

We have eight planets in our solar system ever since poor Pluto got the boot. Aside from Earth, which one seems the most interesting to you?
Mars
Saturn
Uranus
Jupiter

Advertisement

There are lots of theories about how we could travel between stars one day. Which approach is the most interesting to you?
Faster-than-light speed travel
Artificial black holes
I don't think it's possible.
Wormholes

Advertisement

What's the greatest movie about traveling in space ever made?
"Star Trek"
"Interstellar"
"The Martian"
"Star Wars"

Advertisement

It's 1,000 years in the future and we have colonies on Mars and the moon. Would you ever leave Earth permanently?
I'd love to live on Mars.
I might want to visit, but move? I don't know.
I'm happy where the oxygen is.
I could get into a moon base.

Advertisement

There's a universe of difference between life and intelligent life. Do you think there's life in some form out there?
No doubt
It's a possibility.
There's just no evidence.
I assume so.

Advertisement

There have been so many legendary explorers in human history. Who was the most incredible?
Magellan
Marco Polo
Columbus
Jacques Cousteau

Advertisement

Which of these unusual pets would you be willing to have?
Giant African Land Snail
Capybara
Fennec Fox
Tri-Color Burrowing Scorpion

Advertisement

If we met another intelligent race, do you think they'd be friendly?
I think so.
Anything's possible.
Not a chance
I hope so.

Advertisement

If you could learn a new language, which of these would you most like to learn?
Klingon
Spanish
Mandarin
Russian

Advertisement

How open are you to eating foods you've never experienced before?
I love trying new things!
I'm willing to give some things a try, but not just anything.
I won't eat it if I know I won't like it.
I'm pretty open.

Advertisement

Do you often get a chance to go on vacation?
I try to get away at least once a year.
I wish I could get away more.
Not really
As often as I can

Advertisement

What's the greatest distance you've ever traveled?
I've gone to other countries.
I haven't been very far.
I've been all around the country but I haven't left it.
I've been all around the world.

Advertisement

Which alien from pop culture do you think is the least realistic?
Xenomorphs
The Predator
Vulcans
ALF

Advertisement

Would it be a good thing if humanity encountered friendly aliens?
How could it not be?
I assume so.
I'd be suspicious of them.
It seems like we could get a lot of benefits.

Advertisement

Some amazing things go on in space. What are the most interesting cosmic phenomena, in your opinion?
Supernovas
Solar flares
Black holes
Asteroids

Advertisement

If you're going to be in space, you need a cool vehicle. Which of these would you pick?
USS Enterprise
Serenity
Event Horizon
Millennium Falcon

Advertisement

If we can't explore space right now, there are lots of places to explore on Earth. Where would you go if you could?
The depths of the ocean
The Australian Outback
New York City
The Amazon

Advertisement

Do you think intelligent life, if it existed, would even want to meet us?
Of course!
Depends on their intentions, right?
Probably not
I hope so.

Advertisement

Do you believe humanity will ever get to the point where world peace is achieved?
I think so.
I have no idea.
I don't think that's in human nature.
I hope we can.

Advertisement

What do you want to be your legacy in life?
My children
The people I've touched
A world that's a better place than when I found it.
The things I have created

Advertisement

Not to get too heavy on you, but why did life start on Earth specifically?
A perfect mix of conditions
I don't think we'll ever know.
I think a higher power was involved.
Random chance

Advertisement

Lots of people think aliens have visited and abducted them from the Earth. What's your opinion on those stories?
They can't all be fake.
They sound a little unbelievable to me.
It's all fake.
Anything's possible, right?

Advertisement

Have you ever wondered what Earth would have been like if a meteor hadn't ended the dinosaurs?
Super intelligent dino-people!
I haven't, actually. But now I am!
Doesn't matter, you can't change the past.
I think the dinosaurs would have stayed mostly the same.

Advertisement

If an alien showed up at your home E.T.-style, what would you do with it?
Try to befriend it
Run!
Turn it into the government
Find out what it wanted first

Advertisement

Where do you think the aliens would go if they showed on Earth tomorrow?
Wherever they wanted
Someplace inconspicuous
Hopefully to the government
To the biggest city they could find

Advertisement

You Got: