Extraterrestrial intelligence and galactic nuclear activity

After many years of searching, we still have no evidence for the existence of any technological civilization but our own. The conclusion that we are therefore alone in our galaxy has seemed unacceptable, for lack of a plausible explanation. Earlier authors have suggested that there may be Seyfert-like outbursts from the galactic nucleus, with a period of ≈10⁸ years. It is proposed here that this phenomenon could provide the needed explanation for the nonexistence of ETI. The question of why we ourselves have survived is considered.