Sycophancy happens. My main quarrel is with the degree of too-willing, too-agreeable sycophancy by the high profile sycophants in the "politically correct": public arena. Actually, it seems to be a lame attempt at constructing an artificial "political correctness", when the mass of USofA is kinda resistant to bullying by the "experts". That is, there are those mere sycophants, not original in their own explorations, adopting foregone conclusions of others, who wish to arrogantly decouple what is visible in the biosphere from any possibility of a higher intelligence. How droll.

It may not be so obvious to you with your own apparent resistant sycophant-oid bent, but a lot of the traffic in the "politically correct" lemming-supported-followed media is pro-"evolutionism", not more properly neutral tentative "show-me" postured.

A reckless less-than-wholly-sycophantic prediction: With the verification of free water on Mars, next, some signs of life are likely to be found.

Tricky proper dichotomy?:

1. Will the life forms be totally different in their intelligent design (shameless arm-twist),

or

2. Will they be synchronous to a greater model, an overarching grand resonant design?

(added) I invite you to scan and critique for relevance this rather long article about "alien" ?somethings with me, found by Silverfoxxx.

http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?pid=409621&tab=1&agid=2