Your casual dismissal of an entirely legitimate gripe which I do not share has enraged me quite unreasonably[0]. shakes fist
As for the (currently hypothetical) venusians, the existential proof — should it be forthcoming after (if?) probes are sent — may ultimately have a greater societal impact through expansion of the synbio toolbox rather than the implications for the Drake equation and Fermi paradox.
We definitely seem to be living in interesting times. I wonder... does that make it more likely that we are living in a simulation?
[0] In an entirely abstract sense, that is.
But don't talk about it too much, their end goal of the experiment could be to discover the point at which a conscious entity realises that its world is fabricated.
big letters appear in the sky: GAME OVER CONTINUE? 3, 2, 1...