Discovering alien life before the year 2038 is a "realistic" possibility, according to a top British scientist.
A new report argues that the "necessities of life" – like water and energy – are so "common in the Solar System", that it's possible we're not alone.
Dr David L Clements, of the Imperial College London, has published a new paper detailing the possibility of "intelligent, interstellar travelling and colonising life".
The professor admits there it's possible our own galaxy "may be filled with life" – but says that tracking it down is very difficult.
In a new paper, Dr Clements explains that "most potential sites are beneath the icy surfaces of gas giant moons".
"If this is the case elsewhere in the Galaxy, life may be quite common but, even if intelligence develops, is essentially sealed in a finite environment, unable to communicate with the outside world," the paper explains.
Wake up. They're here on Earth. To read more, click here.