Russian scientist: Humans to encounter aliens by 2031

A top Russian astronomer claimed Monday that humans will encounter extraterrestrial life by 2031.

"Life exists on other planets and we will find it within 20 years," the scientist Andrei Finkelstein said, according to the Interfax News Agency.

The astronomer added that 10 percent of known planets circling suns in the galaxy resemble Earth, making life on such planets highly likely, and that aliens are most likely to resemble humans with two arms, two legs and a head, per Reuters.

Finkelstein made the remarks at the opening of the international symposium called "The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence" in St. Petersburg, The Voice Of Russia reported. He says he is convinced based on the fundamental laws of life that life exists throughout the universe.

The search for extraterrestrial life has gained momentum in recent months. The Journal of Cosmology ran an article in March from Richard B. Hoover, claiming evidence of alien microfossils were found in a meteor, suggesting extraterrestrial life. NASA made headlines in December when it announced it found a new form of life with a DNA completely alien to everything we know.

The Search For ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is currently seeking to raise money for its ongoing search, having recently cut back on some of its operations due to lack of funding.


/Huffington Post/