Von Neumann Probes: Self-Replicating Spacecraft and the Fermi Paradox
To the point
John von Neumann's idea of a self-replicating, unmanned spaceship envisions probes that travel between stars, harvest materials to manufacture copies, and spread across the galaxy, with variants like Berserkers and Bracewell probes that spur questions about life, intelligence, and contact with civilizations.
