The Silurian Hypothesis

Worse than Lovecraft: What if the Old Ones were real, but they’re all extinct?

PZ Myers:

What if we launched a SATI (Search for Ancient Terrestrial Intelligence) program, found multiple instances, and learned that our peculiar niche is more common than we thought, and always leads to our decline and disappearance? Would that knowledge allow us to change, do better, and escape our doom, or would it tell us that any attempt would be futile?