Aliens may not be freaky looking

Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University in the US, have said a study showing a new interpretation of humanity's origin increases the probability of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

We are not alone in the universe and aliens are likely to look just like us. Humanity may not be extraordinary but rather the "natural evolutionary outcome" for planets in general. This means that aliens evolving on distant worlds could have quite easily evolved just the same way we did, swimming about in the sea, before crawling onto land and growing arms and legs.

The model, which turns upside down the decades-old "hard steps" theory that intelligent life was an "incredibly improbable" event, suggests that maybe it wasn't all that hard or improbable after all. "It suggests that the evolution of complex life may be less about luck and more about the interplay between life and its environment, opening up exciting new avenues of research in our quest to understand our origins and our place in the universe. - Instead of a series of improbable events, evolution may be more of a predictable process, unfolding as global conditions allow."

(Msn).

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University in the US, have said a study showing a new interpretation of humanity's origin increases the probability of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

We are not alone in the universe and aliens are likely to look just like us. Humanity may not be extraordinary but rather the "natural evolutionary outcome" for plane ...[text shortened]... ts, evolution may be more of a predictable process, unfolding as global conditions allow."

(Msn).

@Rajk999 said
Aliens [intelligent life] will most likely be in the image of God, just like Adam & Eve, but with small differences in intellect and physical features.

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Which kind of ties in with the OP. Intelligent life on other planets will likely be of similar appearance to ourselves (who in a Christian context are in the image of God).

It also makes no sense for a creator God to make the universe so unimageably huge and then only put life on one planet.

@Rajk999 said
Thats a lazy God which does not exist. Its not just God it is all the heavenly host which runs into the billions of angels and other creatures living out there doing stuff. Unimanagilbe stuff going on out there that is far beyond our capability to understand.

I came across a friend recently, who told me there is no life out there, no stars and planets, and a firmament [d ...[text shortened]... entry and exit. Clearly flat-earth believers. I was shocked, as these were pretty educated people.

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Those people depress me to be honest. Talking to them is fruitless.

@Rajk999 said
There are some Christian sects that put this rubbish into peoples head. The same couple, said that they believe Adam had 3 sons because only those where named. Politics and religion really does make you think twice about people's mental capabilities.

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Which kind of ties in with the OP. Intelligent life on other planets will likely be of similar appearance to ourselves (who in a Christian context are in the image of God).

It also makes no sense for a creator God to make the universe so unimageably huge and then only put life on one planet.

@Suzianne said
That's the point, though.

With such a myriad of planets around, life will find a way. Even so, the vast differences in physical makeup of those worlds almost insists on vast differences in physical makeup of the life thereon.

Our familiar lifeforms are carbon-based. Try to imagine a planet with silicon-based lifeforms. Or perhaps a water-world with oxygen-based lifeforms.

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University in the US, have said a study showing a new interpretation of humanity's origin increases the probability of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

We are not alone in the universe and aliens are likely to look just like us. Humanity may not be extraordinary but rather the "natural evolutionary outcome" for plane ...[text shortened]... ts, evolution may be more of a predictable process, unfolding as global conditions allow."

(Msn).

@Indonesia-Phil said
Taking this 'probability model' further, I wonder how likely it is that another intelligent lifeform out there in the cosmos has invented the game of cricket? Intergalactic cricket matches would put a whole new spin on things. (pun intended )

YouTube

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
Indeed, and that has been my view on lifeforms from other planets. That said, my OP puts an interesting twist on things. - A "natural evolutionary outcome" subject to different environmental factors.

@A-Unique-Nickname said
Just because we have certain environmental factors on earth which enable life to evolve into what we have today doesn't mean another form of life can't evolve in conditions which we wouldn't survive. Earth already has many examples of this, we wouldn't be able to live in the sea but fish do just fine. Also just because other life forms exist doesn't mean that they a ...[text shortened]... d oxygen but perhaps another intelligent life form doesn't and is completely different to ourselves.

The most intelligent animal on Earth in terms of neural processing power is the Octopus. Fortunately for us they have short lives and they are so self-sufficient that they lead solitary lives and don't pass on knowledge to each other.

However, if they start living in groups and living longer than 3 years, we should prepare to bow down before our new overlords.

The human body design doesn't seem to me to have attributes that exclude any other body design from achieving intelligence.