Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Will aliens look like us?


Eldorado

Recommended Posts

The aliens you see in science fiction movies and TV often look a lot like us: two arms, two legs, and a head (but with pointy ears). While the reason for this has everything to do with limited budgets and not science, these representations do raise a deeper question about what’s called convergent evolution. If Darwinian evolution works on other planets, will they lead to forms of life — literally how it appears — like we find on Earth?

In our own planet’s history, for example, we do see different versions of wings evolving on many separate occasions in many separate species. This is convergent evolution, and if we knew it always happened, then we could say that evolution is, in some sense, predictable. In that case we could tell if and when aliens would look like us.

But there is a long and fierce tradition of argumentation about convergent evolution. Today, I want to unpack one line in this fight which is new (to me at least) and touches on one of the deepest issues not in biology but in physics: a crazy, profound idea called ergodicity.

https://bigthink.com/13-8/ergodicity-evolution-predictable/

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they look like Kim Basinger i don't want the Intergalactic crabs i hope @acute will Catch those instead of me.

Edited by 'Walt' E. Kurtz
  • Haha 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jethrofloyd said:

They will look like Kim Basinger! ^_^

I hope they invade soon. :tsu:

  • Like 2
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

Will aliens look like us?

The problem is..... Most people can't comprehend (for example...) an intelligent lifeform without eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth.

Our knowledge of science, evolution and other worlds, is in its infancy, yet we behave as if we are well on the way to explaining everything.

It's Bollox!  We haven't even started.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Biology seems to favor symmetry so they may not look like us they will likely be symmetrical. Also they would need to have the manual dexterity to be effective tool users.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetry_in_biology#:~:text=Importantly%2C unlike in mathematics%2C symmetry in biology is always approximate.&text=While sponges and placozoans represent,by%2C some form of symmetry.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s a question worth allot of thought. It would depend on the evolution of the planet they originated from. When intelligent life climbs out of the mud and decides to be more than a blob. What biological factors  played a role in developing. Three, six or nine fingers on one hand? But it could be five, ten or fifteen who knows. Two eyes or sixteen going all the way around the head. Two arms and two legs or three legs and four arms. For them to build a machine to come here and have the technology to do it I can’t see them having paws or bird feet. Something humanoid would be my guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No matter what natural evolution intended for beings billions of years ago, the intellect/experience of these beings as time passed could easily bypass all that.

in other words, they could be "designer beings" and we can have no idea what to expect their looks to be

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

No matter what natural evolution intended for beings billions of years ago, the intellect/experience of these beings as time passed could easily bypass all that.

in other words, they could be "designer beings" and we can have no idea what to expect their looks to be

They arrived here billions of years ago, and use us, animals and plants, to reproduce.

We call them 'virusses'.

Just a thought.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Iilaa'mpuul'xem said:

For the love of god... don't say that.

I have this vision of a smooth silky skinned, 3 breasted female asking my permission to reproduce, to make a perfect race... 

Your crab just doesn't do it for me. 

Haha. I'm sorry to say that the aliens probably won't have breasts. Animals, even monkeys, have their nipples directly on their bodies. We humans are special to have breasts. In fact, I think an alien would find human female breasts quite unattractive, that they look like big tumours.

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, fred_mc said:

Haha. I'm sorry to say that the aliens probably won't have breasts. Animals, even monkeys, have their nipples directly on their bodies. We humans are special to have breasts. In fact, I think an alien would find human female breasts quite unattractive, that they look like big tumours.

Hi Fred

Why the bummer attitude we are going through tough times.:lol:

  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Abramelin said:

They arrived here billions of years ago, and use us, animals and plants, to reproduce.

We call them 'virusses'.

Just a thought.

I really just had that thought, but read this:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23944293/

 

And are they even 'alive'?

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/viruses/a/are-viruses-dead-or-alive

Edited by Abramelin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, fred_mc said:

I think an alien would find human female breasts quite unattractive

But they turn totally crazy when they see these:

200410_236-udder.18267.jpg.6c5b3cdf31e4961b8c6a071a0efa6b1e.jpg

  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Evolution always finds the shortest path 

Intelligent life is highly likely to at least be quite familiar. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, psyche101 said:

Evolution always finds the shortest path 

Intelligent life is highly likely to at least be quite familiar. 

Hi Psyche

I crunched the numbers and 2xpie=boobs

  • Like 1
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Psyche

I crunched the numbers and 2xpie=boobs

I'm good with those numbers. :tu:

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Abramelin said:

They arrived here billions of years ago, and use us, animals and plants, to reproduce.

We call them 'virusses'.

Just a thought.

And a very interesting thought. viruses. 

I find them a real haunt because they are not living. They are more like a micro device powered by an incredible micro-puter, DNA

good up, Abe

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, fred_mc said:

Haha. I'm sorry to say that the aliens probably won't have breasts. Animals, even monkeys, have their nipples directly on their bodies. We humans are special to have breasts. In fact, I think an alien would find human female breasts quite unattractive, that they look like big tumours.

Well we have a member on this site who claims that he once saw an alien with three breasts. 

I think some people here might know who I'm speaking of. 

  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Noteverythingisaconspiracy said:

Well we have a member on this site who claims that he once saw an alien with three breasts. 

I think some people here might know who I'm speaking of. 

Just one?

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Evolution always finds the shortest path 

Intelligent life is highly likely to at least be quite familiar. 

Sorry..... that's baloney! :D

The "shortest path" has to be different on every planet.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.