A Universe of Potential

On friday March 6th, a NASA astrobiologist announced that he had found evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial life in the form of fossilized bacteria which he claims to have found in a rare class of meteorites.
 Now, as a person of science, I am really skeptical.  Let me rephrase that: I am very skeptical.  Such things have been claimed before by many scientists in the past, so naturally I would like to see this scrutinized heavily.  Fortunately, I don't have to wait.  Dr. Richard Hoover's paper in "The Journal of Cosmology" is up for grabs for over 5000 scientists to pick apart.  But what will such a thorough investigation bring? Only time will tell.
Now, as for the implications of such a discovery being indeed validated; well, that is a little easier to predict.  Succinctly stated, it would change everything.  And as SETI researcher Jill Tarter stated in her 2009 TED talk, it would "change everything all at once." Such a discovery no doubt would have staggering implications in all aspects of the human experience, from politics to religion.  It would ultimately end the nagging question we have all asked: Are we alone? For if simple bacteria can exist in the vast reaches of space, it is completely reasonable that they could develop into intelligent species.  It would show that life is by no means a rarity in the universe, and that we are in fact one among many, floating in a cosmic ocean teeming with diverse and vivid life.
On a deeper level, it would bring comfort and solace to everyone here on earth.  No longer would we look up at the stars with a sense of loneliness.  Instead, we would be able to recognize that as a species we are one possibility in a universe of potential.  It would give us a connection to the universe which we would never before have known.  Suddenly, earth would no longer seem as small.
But it is still too early to know what the outcome will be.  It may turn out that this is just another false alarm, and that startling discoveries of this kind are still waiting to be found.  I do not know what the outcome will be, but I do know that the implications of such a find are truly humbling.