The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Methods, Estimates, and the Prospect of Contact

To the point

Carl Sagan and Frank Drake argue that intelligent life beyond Earth is plausible and that scientists actively search for it with radio signals, because many planets exist and life can arise under suitable conditions, though direct evidence remains elusive and contact could come within our lifetimes.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
scientificamerican.com

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

There can be little doubt that civilizations more advanced than the earths exist elsewhere in the universe. The probabilities involved in locating one of them call for a substantial effort.