Scientists have claimed alien lifeforms may have evolved in a similar way to the organisms here on Earth.
A new study from the University of Oxford suggested that the process of natural selection which created the myriad species we see here on Earth is likely to have taken place on other planets too.
One of the scientists 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!
