Frank Drake, the founder of Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence (SETI), at his home in Aptos, California
(Photo by Ramin Rahimian for The Washington Post)

Is there anyone out there?

The answer is almost certainly yes, according to top NASA scientist Ellen Stofan.

The search for alien life has long since shifted from a question of whether it exists to a question of when we'll find it.

Stofan predicted this week that the answer could come within the next decade.

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