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Is this really a new solution to the Fermi paradox? It's a common trope in SF that alien cultures wait for a species to reach a certain level of development before contacting them.

We've had radio for barely any time at all.

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Yes. If I recall correctly, this is a major plot element of "Star Trek: First Contact" for example.[1]

[1] I'm not a huge trek person but it's pretty decent as these things go https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117731/?ref_=fn_al_tt_20

Not just First Contact but most of Star Trek. The Federation has the prime directive, do not make contact with pre-warp/pre-FTL civilisations.

I recall an episode on Enterprise (2001) that showed Vulcan's living amongst them before the Prime Directive was ever a thing.

Yep -- https://screenrant.com/star-trek-enterprise-vulcans-earth-19...

The paper seems to be instead arguing that the range of our radio broadcasts has not reached significantly far into space. Not that aliens are waiting for us to develop, so much as the sign that we're even here hasn't even reached them yet.

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