Here’s an alternative “Zoo” hypothesis regarding a solution to the Fermi Paradox. We’ll call it the Lab Hypothesis.
If you’ll recall, the Zoo Hypothesis is the idea that intelligent, space-faring cognizants exist and they, either a single species or a collective, have intentionally isolated Earth (we’re effectively quarantined) in order to allow humanity to sink-or-swim, as it were.
The Lab Hypothesis is similar, however, the determining factor is that outside intervention is not forbidden, only restricted. And that Earth is “mined” for the myriad lifeforms and organic compounds and molecules that are produced by those lifeforms.
Think, autonomous chemistry laboratory, which haphazardly creates and/or evolves millions of chemicals which are rare in the galaxy. These fabrications are collected by aliens (which might explain the errant sightings of spacecraft), and then sold/traded/used by other populations of intelligent races in the galaxy.
Consider that life is rare (so far — very rare). And that life itself is more capable when it comes to producing strange new chemicals. Even the most advanced AI-computers in the galaxy cannot calculate the working, stable combinations of elements that make up, say, vanilla, cinnamon, coffee, banana, okra, or cannabinoids, millions of chemical and drug compounds the corp-pharma industry searches for in the jungles of the world.
Life, nature, is just too good at making stuff up that works, on some level, to affect living beings, psychotropically, physically, or materially (spider silk for example).
So, Earth is a lab, and we’re lab-rats, and the thousands of spices, fragrances, liquids, intoxicants, etc. that we enjoy — our alien neighbors do too.
But they want to keep it a secret — and not risk polluting the petri-dish.
Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 
This, your idea, the ‘Lab Hypothesis,’ had bounced off my walls before.
However, I couldn’t make peace with being a lab rat. It doesn’t gel with my organic intelligence. That little amount of OI that I have.
Why not?
You know that feeling when something just isn’t?
I did regurgitate our lone presence and the questions surrounding it. Ok, call it cogitation because it happened in the head.
Here is what I came up with in a nutshell.
A bangful event 13 odd billion years ago. (date, time not really important) Everything started from nothing at that eventful occasion/time. (very important) Hence the Mr Nothing by the way.
Stuff grew or evolved, call it whatever, in the universe, probably universi, but those could have come about by some other song at another time.
In this universe, ours, (the billions of galaxies) we are all at about the same level of development give or take a few thousand, ahm, years. That’s why neither we nor anyone else has visited. Everyone is hard at it.
We as humans are very good at what we do. Granted that others coming out of this bangful event might give us a run for our money, but probably not in such a way that we stand around in disbelief with our finger up our reverse, mouth drooling, asking WTF and ‘why are we so far behind?’
I want to think that we are exceptionally good, a bit slow perhaps, not the total whizz-kids in the universe but close. Why would others be so far ahead of us when they started off at the same time? They also had no Red Bull or DMT or …
Anyway, it’s a rainy afternoon here and those are also just thoughts but they do appease me somewhat more than others.
An incredibly interesting read your blog is!
I absolutely appreciated your visit/follow of https://nothingcluelesslost.com Gratitude
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Interesting! I sometimes amuse myself wondering whether or not we are truly alone in the universe, and as they say–either answer is truly awe-inspiring.
Kinda creeps me out thinking we could be lab rats, but hey, if they enjoy our products, then I guess we oughta be happy about that. 😀
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