Aliens May Be More Like Us Than We Think

Scientists at Oxford just published a new study that suggests we might be able to guess what aliens look like based on evolution! Basically, the idea is that aliens, if they exist, would probably go through similar evolutionary changes as life here on Earth.

Here's the logic: everything on Earth, from simple cells to us complex humans, got here through a process called natural selection. This means that traits that help organisms survive and reproduce become more common over time.

Scientists believe that this same process would be at play for aliens on other planets too, even if those aliens are made of totally different stuff than us. This means that alien evolution would likely follow similar patterns, leading to some interesting predictions.

For example, on Earth, complex life forms like us came about through a series of major transitions. These transitions happen when a bunch of simpler organisms team up to create something more complex, like single-celled organisms becoming multicellular ones. The study suggests that aliens would likely go through these same major transitions too, which means they might end up looking somewhat familiar despite being totally different on a chemical level.

The scientists even came up with some illustrations showing what aliens might look like at different stages of complexity.  Basically, the simpler the alien, the less likely it is to be the result of these major transitions. So a simple alien might be a blob with no clear design, while a more complex alien might have lots of intricate parts working together.

Now, this doesn't mean aliens will be walking around on two legs or anything. But it does mean that based on evolution, we can make some educated guesses about what they might be like. This is pretty exciting because it gives us a new tool to try and understand what our potential neighbors out there in space might be like!

Uncover the secrets behind this here