We may not yet have found evidence of alien life, but that doesn't mean it hasn't found us. This is according to a group of scientists who gathered this week in Paris to discuss why, despite decades of searching and the high probability that life exists beyond our own atmosphere, we've yet to make contact. One possibility, albeit unflattering, could be that intelligent aliens are intentionally shielding us from the truth because humans would struggle to cope with the reality of their existence, some say. Researchers at the METI International meeting proposed that aliens could be keeping us in somewhat of a 'galactic zoo,' simply watching us without revealing themselves so as to avoid spurring cultural upset on Earth. WHAT WILL WE DO IF WE MAKE CONTACT? Basic protocols for our first contact with aliens were put in place in the 1980s, but these are merely guidelines, rather than an action plan for dealing with alien contact. Dr Seth Shostak, who leads the Search for Extra-Terrestrial