We Could Colonize the Galaxy With One Spaceship. That’s Exactly the Problem.
Self-replicating spacecraft could colonize the entire galaxy from a single probe β and that’s exactly why they might be the most dangerous idea humanity has ever seriously considered. The problem isn’t engineering. It’s that we can’t design a machine that copies itself a trillion times without eventually becoming a threat to its creator. The galaxy’s silence might not be a mystery. It might be a warning.