Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought - io9 Comments

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Susan44 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:58:12 PDT

It is so refreshing to read that someone else is finally starting to figure this out. I have researched Mars extensively over the last 4 years and have substantive evidence that there were, in fact, (some) Martians that looked exactly like us.
For example, the Mawrth Vallis area on Mars has plenty of artwork made out of rocks that look like us earthlings. Look at the Rover images, look at the satellite images (although one of the best examples you can't find on the web anymore in good resolution). Thank god I saved THAT ONE to my files!

Regards and Peace

Susan44

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

mickfromoz — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:25:00 PDT

Biology would work essentially the same way it does on Earth in an extraterrestrial setting...

Plausible.

Therefore sentient aliens would almost certainly resemble almost-human like beings with bumpy foreheads called Worf, no.

mickfromoz

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

blurey — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:44:41 PST

that explains why women are so diffrent yet so similar.-blurey

blurey

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

ThatGuyOverThere — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 07:00:25 PST

@fullerenedream: Like I said, 6+ years. I know I've seen it both ways, maybe it's just a common typo, or maybe it's also acceptable?

Either way, I still get a laugh from Brits and their Aluminium, when everybody knows the cool kids all call it Aluminum.

ThatGuyOverThere

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

fullerenedream — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:08:02 PST

That's "enantiomer".

fullerenedream

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

ThatGuyOverThere — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:52:05 PST

btw, this article is useless without the word "enantomer"

ThatGuyOverThere

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

ThatGuyOverThere — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:48:08 PST

Just popped in to mention that your illustration shows NH on the amino acid, but it should probably have NH2 instead. They sometimes have NH3, but as far as my brain remembers, the only time they have NH is when they've created a peptide bond to a carbon in the formation of an amino acid chain... but that occurs through dehydration synthesis - so the COOH group would just be CO. Also there would be a whole other amino acid attached to the NH group... but all the way at the end of the chain, you'd still have an NH2.

NH2-RCH-CO-NH-RCH-CO-...(repeat until satisfied)...-NH-RCH-COOH

Correct me if I'm wrong. It's been about 6 years since I did any organic chem.

ThatGuyOverThere

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

cuiusquemodi — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:09:09 PST

@cjc: To seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly deep-fry where no man has deep-fried before.

Seriously, if we can eat them, then they can eat us. And we're not up to interstellar travel yet.

cuiusquemodi

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

ideaman2020 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:05:22 PST

@Annalee Newitz: You mean like Jesus..?

ideaman2020

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

aarchiba — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:08:46 PST

Uh, what? Nothing in that discovery has anything to do with symmetrical bodies.

In fact, the article is very interesting, but in a totally different way: terrestrial processes for making amino acids (and other asymmetrical molecules) fall into two categories: biological and non-biological. The biological ones usually make only one handedness of molecule, basically because protein systems depend on molecule shapes. But as far as we know, (well, as far as I know), *every* non-biological system makes an even mixture of right- and left-handed forms of an asymmetrical molecule. So how is it that we're finding predominantly one handedness in these meteorites? Normally that would be a clear indicator of biological origin...

aarchiba

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Jean-Luc_Picard — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:03:39 PST

@LeNoceur:

LeNoceur, you sound as a parody. Evolution might be only a "theory" but it's the best explanation so far how life evolved on earth (or in the universe). What you are quoting is a belief, that has no more value than any other belief. Only a belief. And a belief that is so ridiculous that if it hadn't been swept away by the sentient part of this planet roughly 230 years ago, this website wouldn't probably even exist.

Jean-Luc_Picard

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

hitmouse — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:27:44 PST

Don't forget all the weird stuff found in the Burgess Shale. Hallucigenia anyone?

hitmouse

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:21:00 PST

@cjc: Good point!

Annalee Newitz

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

cjc — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:07:06 PST

They may not look like us -- compare humans and, say, lobsters -- but this increase the chances that we can eat them.

cjc

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Klebert L. Hall — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:04:45 PST

@zeppelined:

It... already does.
-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Ghede — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:52:56 PST

@Annalee Newitz: ... Hmm. Well, Now I know what I'm going to create when I finally go mad. Living legos.

Ghede

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:48:32 PST

@ideaman2020: I'm holding out for lego-based life forms. I read about them on Gizmodo.

Annalee Newitz

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

ideaman2020 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:26:43 PST

So you're saying that silicon-based lifeforms are just a crazy dream?!?

I refuse to let science squash my imaginary six-breasted, silicon-based imaginary girlfriend!

Phhht! Scientists... what do they know about the universe, anyway...

ideaman2020

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Ed Grabianowski — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:09:18 PST

@bakana: That's gonna make for some awfully awkward human/dolphin meet-n-greets.

Ed Grabianowski

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

deckard97 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:58:48 PST

Let me get this straight... there really could be green hot slave girls from Orion? Wow, it humbles the mind. Also perhaps little gray guys are really kidnapping and probing folks? deep...

deckard97

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

bakana — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:57:41 PST

@zeppelined: Dolphins do have a (semi) prehensile appendage. Well, male ones at least. Ahem.

bakana

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Ed Grabianowski — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:45:50 PST

How would cetaceans develop a written language, or use tools? Are we assuming they evolve prehensile appendages at some point?

Ed Grabianowski

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:38:23 PST

@Gyrus: I think there might be a David Brin book about this . . .

Annalee Newitz

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Gyrus — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:36:03 PST

Besides octopuses, Dolphins and other cetaceans have demonstrated human-level problem solving skills as well, so it isn't that far fetched to imagine a near future discovery of a water covered world where sea life evolved into a dominant life form. Communicating with them would be a challenge though. First Contact would require a porpoise crew member to translate.

Gyrus

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Ed Grabianowski — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:16:41 PST

Radial symmetry isn't the same as bisymmetry, and the majority of complex lifeforms on Earth are bisymmetrical. And it turns out that the genetic coding for bisymmetry shows up even in very primitive, non-bisymmetrical organisms: [arstechnica.com]

But indeed, octopi are bisymmetrical, and sentient octopi aren't that far-fetched, honestly. What is really required to become a sentient race? Enough complexity and size to develop a complex brain or brain-like structure, and the ability to manipulate the environment with a certain amount of dexterity. Niven's Footfall made an interesting case for sentient elephants.

What about hive-minds? You could have millions of small, simple organisms that evolve a genuine collective intelligence. Depends how far you want to push superorganism theory: [blog.wired.com]

Ed Grabianowski

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

tetracycloide — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:00:32 PST

judging from the 'aliens' that populate our science fiction it seems almost impossible that they look more like us than we thought.

tetracycloide

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

wingbatwu — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:40:58 PST

do non-carbon-based lifeforms exist on Earth?

wingbatwu

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Hekkashesh — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:18:21 PST

This analysis also avoids the possibility of non-carbon-based life-forms, which may have a fundamental molecular configuration which is entirely different from what we would expect of other carbon-types.

Hekkashesh

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

DocGratis — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:10:57 PST

Somewhere a quadruped race is arguing that the fact that Carbon always accepts 4 bonds suggests that 4 legged life is the natural state...

Seriously the left and right handed nature of amino acids has nothing to do our left and right hands...

DocGratis

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

Bob_of_Mars — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:07:41 PST

Just because we may all be symmetrical doesn't mean extra-terrestrials will be humanoid. Octopii, starfish, and platypii, are all symmetrical too.

Bob_of_Mars

Aliens May Look More Like Us Than We Thought

LeNoceur — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:02:02 PST

This article fails to take into account the important fact that evolution is just a "theory" espoused by godless liberal scientists. We were created, perfect and unique.

So, not only are there not any aliens, they couldn't possibly look like us anyway.

LeNoceur