A Random Discovery.

Greetings. Does extraterrestrial life exist? I believe so. Do advanced extraterrestrial civilizations exist? I believe so. Are those same extraterrestrial civilizations exploring outer space? I believe so. What would the discovery of an alien civilization look like? Let's speculate. 

A crew of alien astronauts are surveying the area around their home solar system, taking careful note of every star, every planet, every moon, every asteroid, all in an effort to learn about their local surroundings. Some solar systems are void of life, but rich in natural resources, while other systems do have life forms on some of their planetary bodies. The explorers continue their extraterrestrial survey, pushing further out from their home planet. 

Eventually our alien crew comes across a system that has multiple bodies harboring life forms, a couple of planets and several moons. One planet has a thriving ecosystem, but is not possessing of a highly advanced civilization. The other bodies harbor simpler life forms, with a few more complex forms thrown in for good measure. The planet possessing the thriving ecosystem has several species that exhibit sentient behavior, but not technologically advanced characteristics. The explorers begin to focus their attention on this planet. 

The planet's atmosphere is mostly comprised of nitrogen, and some other gases in substantially lesser amounts. A rocky planet, it is covered with a mix of land masses and bodies of liquid. The aquatic environments are dominated by plants and animals, with a few sentient species calling the underwater environments home. None have any technology, but those same sentient species exhibit highly intelligent behaviors. The terrestrial environments are populated by plants and animals of varying degrees of evolutionary advancement, again with sentient creatures in existence. A few of the sentient life forms utilize technology, with one possessing a more substantial technology. 

The species in question moves around its environment in rectangular, metallic craft, exchanging slips of thin plant matter on a semi-consistent basis. The atmosphere of the planet shows signs of toxic contamination, proving that the species in question uses self-destructive power sources, similar to other lesser forms of complex life the alien explorers have come across in their travels. The species in question regularly attacks members of its own species, occasionally in mass numbers, with less than decisive results, and continues to exterminate other creatures on the planet, often in a systematic manner. The species is not indigenous to any other planet, yet it continues to destroy its own environment for reasons unknown to our alien explorers. Members of the species hold beliefs that suggest less than intellectual thinking, modes of thought that keep the species in a primitive state of existence, not advancing as evolutionary processes allow, but instead slowly creeping along towards an undetermined end. 

The species in question is determined to be an interesting species, but with its penchant for stunted, aggressive, and self-destructive behavior, not one with a high level of intelligence, or potential for evolutionary advancement. Our crew of alien explorers have discovered the planet we call Earth. They have discovered Homo sapiens. Us.

Thank you for your time and consideration.