Are we alone in the universe? It’s a question astronomers¹ have pondered ever since we discovered Earth was not the only planet in the cosmos².我们是宇宙中唯一的智慧生命吗？自发现地球并非宇宙中唯一的星球以来，这个问题就一直盘桓在天文学家们的脑海之中。

But, while we conduct searches for habitable planets and even signals from an intelligent race, some experts have warned making first contact could be disastrous³.

但是，当我们寻找可居住星球以及其他智慧生命时，一些专家警告道，尝试进行第一次接触可能引发灾难。

They say that if we were to broadcast our position, it could invite a hostile alien race to our doorstep - and ultimately spell the end of civilisation⁴.

他们认为，如果我们公开了所处位置，就有可能把有敌意的外星生物引到家门口，最后导致人类文明的终结。

The latest data collected by Nasa and other space agencies suggests there could be as many as 40 billion potentially habitable planets in our galaxy⁵, the Milky⁶ Way.

据美国国家航空航天局（Nasa）和其他宇航机构最新收集的数据表明，在银河系，有多达400亿个潜在的可居住星球。

Proponents⁷ of Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) have said we should consider Active Seti - sending out messages, rather than just listening, in the hope someone is out there.

搜寻地外文明计划（Seti）的支持者说，我们应该启动搜寻地外文明计划，发出讯息，而不仅仅是接收，希望能够在浩瀚宇宙中找到其他智慧生命。

However, physicist⁸ and author Dr David Brin, was one leading the call for caution rather than contact.

然而，物理学家、作家大卫·布林博士是主张谨慎而非联络的代表之一。

‘Is there a chance, however small, that in making itself known to aliens, humanity could be about to make a colossal⁹ mistake?’ he said, according to The Times.

据《泰晤士报》报到，他说：“有没有这样的可能，哪怕可能性很小，人类让未知的外星生命得知自己的存在而犯下极大的错误？”

‘We live in this jungle neighbourhood where it’s quiet, and if you are a toddler, it’s best to talk it over with the other toddlers before screaming yoo-hoo!’

“我们生活在危险而安静的环境中，作为一个蹒跚学步的孩子，在跟成年人打招呼前，最好还是跟其他蹒跚学步的孩子多沟通沟通。”

His views follow similar cautionary tales from esteemed¹⁰ scientists such as Professor Stephen Hawking¹¹.

他的观点符合一些伟大科学家的警言，比如史蒂夫·霍金教授。

Last year, Professor Hawking warned against inviting¹² an unwelcome visit from aliens, pointing out: 'The outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.'

去年，霍金教授警告不应该贸然邀请外星生物来访，他说：“外星生物的到来很可能跟哥伦布踏上美洲大陆时的情形一样，对美洲原住民来说并不是什么好事。”