Thank god the fate of intelligent life doesn't rest on humanity alone

Thank god the fate of intelligent life doesn't rest on humanity alone

NASA Researchers Claim Evidence of Present Life on Mars

A pair of NASA scientists told a group of space officials at a private meeting here Sunday that they have found strong evidence that life may exist today on Mars, hidden away in caves and sustained by pockets of water.

The scientists, Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, told the group that they have submitted their findings to the journal Nature for publication in May, and their paper currently is being peer reviewed.

What Stoker and Lemke have found, according to several attendees of the private meeting, is not direct proof of life on Mars, but methane signatures and other signs of possible biological activity remarkably similar to those recently discovered in caves here on Earth.

If there is life on Mars, then I suspect that the creation of alien life isn't a question of if it can happen, but rather if other planets can support higher forms of life, as every planet may indeed have or be capable of producing some basic creature, but may not allow for more complex beings to evolve.
I do hope there is alien life. It might be nice to swap technologies, sciences, philosophies, and the like with aliens. Plus, such would give me something to think about. Do you think aliens have developed the microwave? If they have something similar to TV, do they broadcast similar types of shows, and have news programs focus on irrelevant things such as Michael Jackson? Do you think aliens may have slavery at some point in their history, just as humans do? What about religion; would aliens have it at all, or would their religion be very different from those on Earth?
Now, I'm not asking real questions, I am rather trying to scratch at the nature of intelligent life. The greatest thing that could come from encountering other intelligent life, even if it's just some variation of primates, would be a greater understanding of humanity. After all, it's hard to examine humanity when you have nothing to compare it to.

Other news of the day: Kin Jong Il's birthday (article). Yes, this is important, because Kimmy is very self-centered. How self-centered? Well, the average 17 year old North Korean male is 8 inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than his South Korean counterpart, due to starvation and malnutrition. Kim Jong Il is 5 foot 2 inches, and hates himself for it. Kimmy is starving his country so that he looks taller.

Also, the Kyoto protocols come into effect.

Finally, Iran and Syria have announced a formal alliance to "face challenges and threats" (like the US, perhaps?). Syria is disliked by the US because it provides insurgents and an open border, and because it is manipulating Lebanon, which is becoming something of a province of Syria, rather than an independent nation.