With new images of the Mars "Face" now in hand, it appears that once again science has triumphed over science fiction. Even a layman can recognize that the boulders and ridges that make up the Cydonian "Face" are little more than a curious rock formation.

Nonetheless, there are those who have staked their reputation on the interpretation of the "Face" as evidence of aliens. Others have made money on the sale of books and at shows lecturing on the "real" meaning of the "Face."

What took 22 years of argument to develop is not likely to evaporate in the course of a single minute's new image -- even though all evidence points that it should. A few of the most diehard believers proclaim that other nearby rock formations demonstrate some former alien presence. One particularly avid believer even terms another rocky crag as "Mars condos."

While their views may be a bit extreme, all of this begs the question: if not now on Mars, when and from where? Given the number of stars in the sky, how long will it be before we do find evidence of another civilization far away? And what shall we do then?