People always ask me how I think humanity will react if we discover life somewhere out there in the Universe, whether it’s bacteria under the surface of Mars, a biosignature of alien life in the atmosphere of another world, or a radio signal from another civilization. Will our civilization lose its collective mind and have a temper tantrum on a global scale? Will the discovery suddenly end all religion, as we wait for guidance from our new alien overlords? Will we gather together as a species to present a common front to whatever cosmic horrors await us beyond the Solar System? In my opinion, if I could sum up the collective response in a single word, it would be: meh.