re: Are we not strongly biased by our desire to find life out there?
Of course as space cadet types we're subjectively influenced by our desires to live in a universe replete with life. During the 70s and 80s 'The Sagan Era' the conventional wisdom was that our solar system and planet were typical and we'd find "billions and billions" more like ours. Unexpectedly, during the 90s we started gathering FACTS about extrasolar systems and we were surprised to find out the infinte variety of seemingly 'strange' solar systems, most very unlike ours.
Two things to remember...
1. We haven't a scintilla of evidence of any life elsewhere after 50 years of the Space Age
2. We've barely just BEGUN a quest of exploration, even of our own solar system