I read this article and I can't help but to laugh to myself a little. I completely believe in sending scientist to see what is around our planet, and in other galaxies. I completely believe in scientific research to discover what is out there in the universe. The thing that makes me laugh is our childish infatuation with wanting to discover a new earth. This article was written from the point of view of the kid who has every toy ever made, but still has the longest Christmas list you've ever seen! We have everything we ever needed within this planet, and we just don't grasp that concept. We are destroying something that is in fact exactly what we are spending billions looking for elsewhere. The thought of there being aliens or animal-like humans out there sometimes intrigued me, but never interested me. Life is amazing on this planet. So I vote instead of searching for life on other planets we should spend that money fixing this one. I'm the places struggling with disease, malnutrition, and economic disaster would greatly appreciate it.