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Hollywood films and science fiction literature fuel the belief that aliens are monster-like beings, who are very different to humans. But new research suggests that we could have more in common with our extra-terrestrial neighbours, than initially thought.
In a new study published in the International Journal of Astrobiology scientists from the University of Oxford show for the first time how evolutionary theory can be used to support alien predictions and better understand their behaviour. They show that aliens are potentially shaped by the same processes and mechanisms that shaped humans, such as natural selection.
The theory supports the argument that foreign life forms undergo natural selection, and are like us, evolving to be fitter and stronger over time.
[...] The paper also makes specific predictions about the biological make-up of complex aliens, and offers a degree of insight as to what they might look like.
[...] 'There are potentially hundreds of thousands of habitable planets in our galaxy alone. We can't say whether or not we're alone on Earth, but we have taken a small step forward in answering, if we're not alone, what our neighbours are like.'
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-10-31-aliens-may-be-more-us-we-think
[Also Covered By]: phys.org
Darwin's aliens (open, DOI: 10.1017/S1473550417000362) (DX)
Evolutionary exobiology: towards the qualitative assessment of biological potential on exoplanets (DOI: 10.1017/S1473550417000349) (DX)
(Score: 2, Insightful) by shrewdsheep on Thursday November 02 2017, @12:49PM (6 children)
This is certainly a mistaken belief. Selective forces are alive and acting. There is still natural selection (a.k.a pruning selection), sexual selection and all other types of selection acting on the human population now. More important, the current times are one of the most interesting in terms of evolutionary development. Arguably, natural selection is pruning less of the population than before (more infants survive, disease kills less). This is complemented with an exponential expansion of the population retaining more genetic variation than would be the case in a population of constant size. Historically, biological innovation happened under such circumstances as the difficult step to accumulate several potential harmful mutations to arrive at biologically superior solution becomes more likely. As a result, speed of human evolution is much increased at the moment as compared to earlier times.
What I can agree on is that biological is outpaced by technological development and we will not see the results of this evolution on steroids happening now.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday November 02 2017, @01:14PM (5 children)
What does "biologically superior" even mean for humans anymore?
What we are seeing in terms of population growth today is the explosion of children of people who are willing to have children, and as a "fitness function" I find that dubious, at best.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @02:04PM
LGBTQIAH2SPAO [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Thursday November 02 2017, @03:52PM (3 children)
That's a question evolution will answer. My personal guess is it has to do with intelligence, but what do I know.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday November 02 2017, @04:07PM (2 children)
Looking around me, humans' intelligence seems to be (loosely) negatively correlated with number of offspring... it's one of my larger concerns about the future of the human race.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday November 02 2017, @05:59PM (1 child)
Yep, Idiocracy in action.
I submit that attractiveness counts for way more than intelligence (no matter what the women claim on the dating sites).
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday November 02 2017, @06:27PM
Well, at risk of perpetuating a stereotype - the beauty queens I have known all tend to have more than 2 children, usually early, and often by multiple fathers. Pretty much following the Erin Brokovich storyline: no use for school, they had other ways to "feel powerful" in the world.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]