Extraterrestrial

What might alien life forms look like ?

By T.K. Randall
July 7, 2012 ·  85 comments

Image Credit: Eden’s Science Month One leading scientist has come up with one of the more unusual concept suggestions for a potential alien life form, Dr Maggie Alderin-Pocock believes that it is possible we could find huge jellyfish-like animals floating through methane clouds on another world. The creatures would feed by scooping nutrients from the clouds in to their mouths while staying aloft through the use of large onion-like buoyancy bags hanging beneath them.

"Our imaginations are naturally constrained by what we see around us, and the conventional wisdom has been that life needs water and is carbon-based," said Dr. Alderin-Pocock. "But some researchers are doing exciting work, playing with ideas such as silicon-based life forms. Silicon is just below carbon in the periodic table, has some chemical similarities, and is widely available in the universe. "[!gad]One leading scientist has come up with one of the more unusual concept suggestions for a potential alien life form, Dr Maggie Alderin-Pocock believes that it is possible we could find huge jellyfish-like animals floating through methane clouds on another world. The creatures would feed by scooping nutrients from the clouds in to their mouths while staying aloft through the use of large onion-like buoyancy bags hanging beneath them.

"Our imaginations are naturally constrained by what we see around us, and the conventional wisdom has been that life needs water and is carbon-based," said Dr. Alderin-Pocock. "But some researchers are doing exciting work, playing with ideas such as silicon-based life forms. Silicon is just below carbon in the periodic table, has some chemical similarities, and is widely available in the universe. "

Source: Telegraph | Comments (85)

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