Could Aliens Look Like Us? Evolutionary Theory Says Yes

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Ever since the existence of an alien life came to people’s mind, we imagined those creatures as either gray or green creatures with large heads and big, black eyes that resemble of eyes of bugs. However, new research conducted by the scientists at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom suggests that if alien life really exists, aliens look like us more than we imagined. Could aliens look like us? Read on to find out!

As mentioned above, a group of scientists from the University of Oxford released a paper which says that evolutionary theory can help us describe how aliens look like, but also their behavior in the International Journal of Astrobiology. The scientists suggest that aliens are affected by natural selection, same as we are, meaning they can evolve to be stronger, and easily adapt to the new conditions set by nature.

One of the researchers in Oxford’s Department of Zoology, Sam Levin, said that it’s quite challenging to predict what aliens look like, and how they behave, as we have never actually interacted with them. “We only have one example of life- life on Earth-to extrapolate from,” he stated.

Astrobiologists in the past have referred to chemistry, geology, and physics in hopes to explain life on our planet while trying to predict what would alien life look like if it existed. He explained. He also says that his team’s approach is different. They rely on Evolutionary theory to make predictions that aren’t based on the facts about life on Earth.

As you may know, evolutionary theory says that organisms can evolve into a higher status, but to do so, they need to go through a series of transitions. “Major transitions are important because the new higher-level organisms that they produce can lead to a great jump in complexity,” authors stated in the published paper.

The best example of this theory is that single cells can evolve into multicellular organisms. After all, humans probably wouldn’t be as they are now if it wasn’t for the mentioned major transitions that occurred. Perhaps, we wouldn’t have hearts, brains, lungs, if we didn’t go through a series of major transitions, as the paper suggests. Both Evolutionary theory and data suggest that for these major transitions to take place that extreme conditions need to take place. The same probably can apply for aliens, too, if they are real.

“We still can’t say whether aliens will walk on two legs or have big green eyes,” Levin stated. However, thanks to the Evolutionary theory, the scientists can assume that if aliens are real, their forms adapted to be similar to us.

“Like humans, we predict that they are made up of a hierarchy of entities, which all cooperate to produce an alien,” he said. “At each level of the organism, there will be a mechanism in place to eliminate conflict, maintain cooperation and keep the organism functioning.”

It is important to note that all these statements are theoretical. It’s still not confirmed whether they exist or not, and where are they in the first place. Still, as a result of Evolutionary theory, aliens could look like us.

What do you guys think? Are aliens real, and could aliens look like us? According to many scientists, the odds of aliens not existing in the huge universe are very thin. Do you agree with them? Let us know in the comments!

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