Is alien life possible?

We've been talking about the possibility of life outside Earth. Here it is.

There may be 100 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way, or one for every sun-type star in the galaxy, said Alan Boss, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution and author of the new book "The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets."

He made the prediction based on the number of "super-Earths" -- planets several times the mass of the Earth, but smaller than gas giants like Jupiter -- discovered so far circling stars outside the solar system.

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This discussion may have to do with the Anthropic principle.

Where do we come from?

I found this interesting article in the BBC about the Neanderthal, a close kin to Homo Sapiens, yet perhaps a competing fellow for food, during early paleolithic times.