"Extremely unlikely things can, and do, happen all the time." That's Hawking's postface to the vision of a potential future laid out in the clip below. He points out early on that there are really only two ways we can go about finding extraterrestrial life: use tools to listen closely, and send out signs of our own existence in hopes they'll be received.

If intelligent life does exist, it's likely way too far for us ever to reach it — what's far more likely is it reaching us. In the potential future he's discussing, it doesn't seem that Hawking is too optimistic about how the interaction might go down. He likens it to when Columbus landed on the shores of the Americas, and the destruction that followed.

Check out the clip below if you're looking to feel small and insignificant today. Let us know what you thought in the comments, and be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook!