We determine intelligence however we damn well please. We're the most intelligent species that we know so we set the standards. If we ever find a more advanced species we will see how they measure up and then we will either create a new definition or redefine what we have. An important thing to note here is that more technologically advanced does not mean more intelligent.
I don't get your last question though. I mean have you met humans? Our scientists are beyond curious and we would fucking cum all over the place if we could even find a tiny shred of a single celled organism out there because that's already plenty exciting.
Our understanding of the universe is good enough to bring us to a point where it's not about what kind of life is out there or how we would interact with it but the simple question of if we're able to find anything in the first place. It doesn't matter if there is just one or 10 billion species out there that are as advanced as us, it would still be a fucking miracle to find even a shred of their existence.
If you demand respect or gratitude for your volunteer work, you're doing volunteering wrong.
