Cambridge Astrobiologist: Forget the ... little green men - What aliens will look like

The mission to Mars, the modern telescopes scanning the Space for planets that present all those elements for the appearance of life and the explosion of interest in human settlement on the Moon and the "Red Planet", have "ignited" the debate about aliens and their possible form. At the same time, large sums are being invested in "Space Conquest", pointing the way to the future.

The internationally recognized astrobiologist from the University of Cambridge, Arik Kersenbaum, has published a book in which he analyzes everything we could expect about extraterrestrial life, based on the laws of nature and science. The well-known astrobiologist takes the existence of extraterrestrial life for granted, however ... he lowers expectations, writing in his dissertation that the image that many people have formed, through great cinematic successes, will not be confirmed. In other words, we forget ... little green people from Mars, or advanced ET type beings.

The aliens will probably be anthropomorphic or animal-shaped, they will have symmetrical bodies, with arms, legs, ears and eyes. Darwinian theory of natural evolution and selection cannot, under the laws of nature, be differentiated, even in another stellar system, galaxy, or planet with different characteristics.

This means that the evolution of aliens has ... limited paths and depends on their environment, however it can not be differentiated to the point that it overturns the laws of the universe.

Also, the aliens will be smart and sociable, regardless of the level of technology and culture they have developed.

The book by the Cambridge professor of astrobiology has been published in the last 24 hours and explores the possible evolution of life outside our planet. Kersenbaum bases his research on the evolution of creatures on Earth and predicts the shape of the inhabitants of planets that are several light years away from our solar system.

In his book he does not deal with a specific form, but mainly with the evolution of species. It draws in part on the work of Richard Dawkins, exploring the concept of "Catholic Darwinism", with Dawkins himself saying that the book offers a "wonderful insight into earthly biology".

So what could we expect if ... ET was enough to visit us?

Well, according to Kershenbaum, we should not expect ... big surprises. He says that the "universal laws of biology" that govern all life on Earth are likely to apply to extraterrestrials, with species evolving based on natural selection. This will apply regardless of what the chemical creatures are, what environments they live in, or the type of star their planet orbits.

Darwin's theory of natural selection concerns the survival and reproduction of individuals based on their ability to reproduce successfully.

Kershenbaum says this will be true of alien species in a distant world.

He points out that they may not look "exactly" like creatures on Earth and may even breathe different air, but their evolution will be based on certain limiting properties that best suit their environment.

Darwin's natural evolution and theory

The Cambridge astrobiologists reported in an article in the BBC Science Focus in 2020: "The most important rule is that life comes from natural selection. Life adapts to its environment.

Complex aliens will have evolved from ordinary aliens to solve problems on their planet. Problems such as food and reproduction will be solved, as they are in humans or other species on our planet.

He suggests that the alien creatures will probably follow some known patterns. For example they will be bilaterally symmetrical, meaning that their left side will reflect their right side.

There will be predators and prey, which will lead to camouflage and defense mechanisms, similar to the creatures on Earth. "They will be both social and individualistic and will have a series of moves designed to avoid their dominant predator."

An example he gave came from observations of fish living on the seabed on Earth that use electric pulses to show their social status.

Kersenbauer said a dominant species in a distant world may have evolved to use electricity in a more detailed and advanced communication. They would also probably have limbs known to us for their movement, such as legs, frog legs for aquatic worlds, fins and wings.

Reproduction estimates again refer to forms on Earth, but are directly related to the environment. Creatures are likely to be intelligent, with dominant species evolving technologically, language and ways of communicating, Kershenbaum said. "We all want to believe in intelligent aliens," he wrote in the book, adding that "it seems inevitable that they will exist in reality."

Sophisticated technology and advanced communication

Kersenbaum believes that there will be multiple systems with social and intelligent organizations that have "language ability" and sophisticated technology.

"It is difficult to see how another result can be achieved," said the well-known astrobiologist. In fact, he believes that it would be possible to meet them, as "they will build spaceships and explore the universe", just as man has done in recent decades.

The author does not believe that we will encounter these creatures at any time, as the probability - in part due to the huge distances between star systems - is so small "that it is almost ruled out".