Personally I think that this could (and should) mark a turning point in our cosmic outlook. Shifting our view of the universe won’t happen overnight, and taking action on that new perspective may take even longer. But it’s got to happen.
The worlds of Proxima Centauri may turn out to be utterly inhospitable, yet the very act of confirming that fact will have immeasurable scientific impact. And perhaps this newly discovered planet is a temperate, habitable, and inhabited place. That wouldn’t just have scientific impact, it would literally open the cosmos for us.
From: Proxima Centauri Just Became Our Gateway to the Cosmos – Scientific American Blog Network
