I've been playing Mass Effect and the designs of the different species got me thinking up my own aliens species. (might do a write up in the AMAW), but it also got me thinking of what an intelligent (equivalent to our own at least) extraterrestrial lifeform would really look like.
In sci-fi many aliens appear to take on a very humanoid form, with just extra bumps on the forehead or pointy ears. But is this an accurate assumption of what ET would look like? Most scientists say no. But some claim based on a phenomena in evolution known as convergent evolution that some forms are inevitable to arise. For one interesting example bats and dolphins independently developed near identical genetic paths for sonar.
"It seems to me that if something like a bipedal primate (or the equivalent thereof) has a certain inevitability to it because of how evolution unfolds, then it would have happened more than once here. In his book Nonzero, Robert Wright argues that our existence precludes other terrestrial intelligences of our level from arising, but Neanderthals were as close as one can get to a counterfactual experiment, and they had half a million years to themselves in Europe without our interference, and showed no signs of cultural progress whatsoever in that time (tool kits stayed the same, no symbolic art, etc.). So that seems to me a bit of data against that argument."
This part sounds less like an argument against intelligent extraterrestrial life taking humanoid form and more an argument against intelligent life developing at all. But this isn't the arguement, based on the math alone there are likely thousands possibly millions of intelligent lifeforms in this galaxy alone.
Now one argument was that based on what we have seen in convergent evolution it's much more likely to see a starfish or millipede like alien then a humanoid one.
The chances of ET looking like a sea star, a millipede, or a spineless clam are far greater than ET looking like us. The fact that weâre our favorite species and thus depict aliens looking like us tells us more about our egos than evolution.
But this point doesn't take into account the physical requirements of our form of intelligence to form.
So what would such a lifeform require?
Of course they would need a well developed complex brain structure. This would likely have to take a similar form as ours. This brain would have to allow for creativity to invent, make and use tools. It would also have to allow for this creativity to be used in a similar communal fashion as our ability to work together in such an intellectual way has been shown based on studies of other prime mates to be a major factor in our ability to grow and develop our knowledge. Out of these abilities we should see consciousness emerge.
Another requirement would be fine motor skills. They would require the physical capability to manipulate objects, to fashion and use tools. In us we adapted hands, tentacles like those of an octopus could also preform this function.
The species would also require a means of moving around. Depending on the environment this could vary greatly but if we are talking about a terrestrial Earth like environment then legs of some sort would be likely. It would need this so as to explore the world around it.
So ET would have a well developed brain, likely hands or tentacles to manipulate objects, and some means to move itself around.
My thoughts on the matter is that the humanoid form would be at least one of several very likely forms an intelligent extraterrestrial lifeform would take. It wouldn't likely just be bumpy headed people, but the basic form would likely be there. There would likely still be great diversity with number of limbs, fingers, etc., and the proportions and shape of those limbs. But the basic humanoid structure would still be able to be made out. Overall the closer to an Earth like environment we got the more likely an intelligent lifeform would appear humanoid.
Your thoughts?
P.S. This is not a topic to argue Creation, or try to argue against evolution. This topic works under the assumption that such life does exist as the mathematics probabilities show thousands even millions of other intelligent lifeforms to likely exist just in this galaxy alone.
Wasn't really thinking of that movie but I suppose the forest lifeform they connected to could be an example. I was thinking more along the lines of a species not developing a dedicated brain but having a nervous system spread through out the body very much like ours but unlike ours was complex enough to also process thought. Like if the nerves in your hand could not just send and receive the information but produce that information as well.
I don't see why aliens should be carbon-based life forms
While I think carbon based life would be the more likely I don't think it would have to be carbon based.
There is no doubt in my mind that intelligent aliens wouldn't necessarily end up being humanoid, I just think it's a likely form intelligent life could take. In what way do you think an alien could function to produce intelligent life?
Energy efficiency might play a roll in a number of physical characteristics thinking about it.
Although you said you did not want this to become an evolution vs creationism thread in the slightest bit, a lot would depend on whether or not the intelligent creature evolved or was created, its position in the food chain whilst developing would play a part in their mode of transport based on the food source they had(and their place in the food chain - originally).
They could just as easily be smaller, the size of a sensory organ doesn't always determine it's efficiency. The environment could still effect the size though. For example if the planet received less light the eyes would likely develop to be larger but it could also simply develop to just be more light sensitive while remaining about the same size as ours.
True, it seems the only thing we can assume for sure is that they have a big, or highly developed, somewhat compact brain.
Something else I just thought of. If as I said the species would require a means of using this intelligence collectively then it would also require a means of communication. This could be verbally, visually, or chemically done.
Once again its all based on the environment, for the most part I think its safe to rule out chemical communication, it works for things like swarms of bees, but unless they have a highly developed sense of smell(massively more complex than a dogs) then their wouldn't be enough smells to communicate complex things, I'm using pheromones released into the air as an example, and that would be made less useful by environmental conditions like wind. I can't help but have a bias towards verbal communication, but that would be less useful deep in the ocean.
Another thought what do you think of the function of a decentralized nervous system. Our brain is part of a centralized nervous system but do you think that a decentralized but more complex nervous system could function in producing intelligent life?
I don't know very much about decentralized nervous systems, everything I know about it stems from a starfish. From what little knowledge I have to draw from, I would say that its unlikely that every part of a decentralized nervous system would be able to communicate with each other, as well as to deconstruct the sensations for themselves, it would require a lot of unnecessary energy and space
When I think of that type of nervous system, I think of the hive mind of a herd of buffalo, they can operate and communicate with each other well enough to survive, but we would not call them highly intelligent.
I don't see why aliens should be carbon-based life forms and look or function anything like us at all.
It doesn't, but we don't know of any other life, the possibilities are endless.
Although you said you did not want this to become an evolution vs creationism thread in the slightest bit, a lot would depend on whether or not the intelligent creature evolved or was created,
One of the main points of this topic is to figure out what an extraterrestrial lifeform would look like if evolving. What basic features would that species require. Also while the odder developments are welcome, to also figure out what could be the most likely features to form.
Many scientists think the humanoid form to not be a very likely form an intelligent lifeform would take. I disagree here, I think it is one of several likely forms intelligent life would take.
its position in the food chain whilst developing would play a part in their mode of transport based on the food source they had(and their place in the food chain - originally).
You make a good point here. Does anyone have any thoughts on how the placement in the food chain could effect the development of intelligent life?
Once again its all based on the environment, for the most part I think its safe to rule out chemical communication, it works for things like swarms of bees, but unless they have a highly developed sense of smell(massively more complex than a dogs) then their wouldn't be enough smells to communicate complex things, I'm using pheromones released into the air as an example, and that would be made less useful by environmental conditions like wind.
good argument about the chemical method. On a side note moths do have a much more highly developed sense of smell then dogs.
Another method of communication, though again not a very likely one, could be electromagnetic. If a species had a specialized organ capable of sending and receiving such transmissions they could communicate this way. It would be a bit like an organic radio.
From what little knowledge I have to draw from, I would say that its unlikely that every part of a decentralized nervous system would be able to communicate with each other, as well as to deconstruct the sensations for themselves, it would require a lot of unnecessary energy and space
Your probably right. The energy requirements would be heavy and an environment that would allow for such a development might not allow for other requirements.
When I think of that type of nervous system, I think of the hive mind of a herd of buffalo, they can operate and communicate with each other well enough to survive, but we would not call them highly intelligent.
Though what your saying here could overcome said limitation. While the individual species might not allow intelligence maybe a interconnected group mind could function as a single intelligent agent.
You should read The Swarm, by Frank Schaetzing. It has interesting ideas on other intelligent lifeforms, mainly an underwater one. I'm not saying that lifeforms like those could travel through space, but it's worth the read. Don't know how to tell more without spoiler :S
We will never know till we meet other intelligence will we?
No we won't however we can make predictions based on what we see going on here on Earth. We can also use theories in evolution to predict the likely form something will take depending on the environment. The question then is what is the likely form a species with human equivalent intelligence would take? Are we really the likely form or could something else be more probable?
Something like this. The movie makes 2 of them intelligent, and look at their space-ship, they also look much cooler than most intelligent movie aliens.
