The "Dark Forest" theory of the cosmos—popularized by Liu Cixin’s sci-fi masterpiece The Three-Body Problem —presents a terrifying view of the universe. It suggests that the cosmos is a dark forest where every civilization is a armed hunter, moving silently through the trees. In this environment, survival dictates that any detected civilization must be instantly eliminated before it becomes a threat.

For decades, we have looked up at the night sky with romantic longing. We listened for whispers from Arecibo, painted golden records onto Voyager, and assumed that if we shouted loud enough into the void, someone friendly would shout back.