We've seen them
portrayed in a vast variety of Hollywood films, from the nasty, slimy suckers
shown in Independence Day to the precious, teddy-bear-esque creature that
charmed us in E.T. But which is closer to the truth? As our understanding of
the universe grows and the outlook on our existence is in turn humbled,
scientists are beginning to theorize what these extraterrestrials might look
like.
While opinions can certainly vary (we all have them, no doubt),
scientists are forming theirs on the basis of environmental and biological
clues rather than science fiction. Does that mean we're closer to the answer?
Of course not! Read on below to see the various forms of life scientists are
predicting.
1. JELLYFISH
Dr Maggie
Aderin-Pocock, who works for space firm Astrium, believes that aliens would be
marine-type animals with "pulses of light for communication with other
aliens, mouth type openings to scope chemicals from atmosphere for growth and
reproduction, bodies that enlarge in sunlight, metallic surfaces for absorbing
light, lenses for detailed viewing of their surroundings, orange undersides for
camouflage, buoyancy sacks to maintain altitude." She bases this on her
theory of how life began in the ocean here on earth and draws the conclusion
that creatures could interact with a foreign atmosphere the same way organisms
in our oceans interact with water.
2. BUGS
Cockroaches are among
our planet's most indestructible creatures thanks to their thick exoskeleton,
able to survive a very large range of intense conditions (including, some say,
nuclear war). This makes a bug-style life form (intelligent or not) with strong
armor a good bet when it comes to the myriad of environments which our universe
contains.
3. JUST LIKE HUMANS
Simon Conway Morris,
professor of evolutionary paleobiology at Cambridge University, thinks that
aliens would be "just like humans," not only in appearance and
biology but in weaknesses, such as "greed, violence and a tendency to
exploit others' resources."
"My view is that
Darwinian evolution is really quite predictable," Morris says, "and
when you have a biosphere and evolution takes over, then common themes emerge
and the same is true for intelligence."
Whether aliens being
"just like us" would be a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate!
4. NON-CARBON LIFE
Based on what we know
about life as it exists on Earth, it's understandable why many scientists,
including Morris, would subscribe to the idea that aliens will look like
humans. But while most of the life found on planet Earth is composed of carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, scientists found
multicellular organisms that do not need oxygen back in 2010 (only bacteria
were thought to have this trait prior). This obviously opened up a few
questions about the way we view life and how it can exist. Scientific
hypotheses exist today that suggest non-carbon based life could exist in the
universe — the trendy pick is now silicon-based life forms — and if this turns
out to be true, chances are that it would look nothing like that found on our
planet.
5. CREATURES OF THE
EXTREMES: DEEP SEA AND HIGH AIR
For example, in the
Discovery Canada show Aliens: The Definitive Guide, Dr. Lewis Dartnell, an
astrobiologist at University College London, laid out a few possibilities for
aliens that might come from planets unlike our own. Creatures from "water
worlds" might develop along the lines of the organisms we find in the
bowels of our oceans, and a planet with a heavy gravity could support bigger,
larger, and more powerful "flying creatures" that take advantage of
the thick and dense atmosphere.
Source: Yahoo news
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