Thanks for reading and commenting, Opher! You bring up some excellent food for thought. It’s definitely worth an article or two. You’re probably already familiar with the Drake Equation, which I did a little write-up on here: https://medium.com/swlh/how-rare-is-life-in-the-galaxy-3c106865b5b6

Delving into some of the variables and their implications, including the facets you brought up, could lead down some interesting roads!