"Omnia Gallia est divisa in partes tres" - that's close, anyway. Latin, from my Freshman in high school days. A very tough 3 years, that Freshman stuff!!! Latin only lasted two.

You raise an interesting point - assimilation. That would assume we were made in their own image, so to speak. I hadn't thought of that, as I was assuming they would have 'seeded' us with a more primitive set of DNA without knowing exactly what would evolve.

My thought has always been is that they would treat us like we treat other species, and each other. That is, harshly, with the more technologically advanced repressing the less, in the name of PROGRESS. Projecting the human psyche onto "them", I believe they'd treat us as we do bees, or ants, who were done making the hive or hill.

I think that any "alien" looking for life wouldn't have any problem figuring out that life, as we know it, is here - a spectroscopic view of Earth's atmosphere should show a lot, and I've always been leery of broadcasting out presence. I think we would want to stay out of sight - we'd be treated very cruelly by any other culture.

There is a school of thought which says that they'd find us "cute", and help us, etc. I think the way the Europeans helped the Native Americans or the Spanish helped the Mexican Indians is a closer model. It's just the nature of DNA - eat or be eaten, but don't play with your food sort of thing.

Fun to think about. Thanks for the thread.

Arf