Here Are Five Super Scary Things Scientists Truly Believe About Extraterrestrial Life
Have you ever wondered what scientists think of aliens? Here’s all you need to know!
Many depictions of aliens in popular culture have given us insight into how they could act and what they might want from us. However, it turns out that many reputable scientists have considered the possibilities as well. Here is what the researchers believe.
They Could Look Just Like Us
Professor of Evolutionary biology at Cambridge, Simon Conway Morris, believes that intelligent aliens are likely to have a very human appearance. Morris suggested in The Runes of Evolution that different species may independently evolve in similar patterns, and that this is likely to be the case on other planets as well.
Machines will be the first to arrive
In fiction, aliens frequently land on Earth after disembarking a spacecraft. Astronomer Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute and other experts, however, disagree. Aliens that wished to make contact with Earth probably wouldn't risk sending living beings here first; instead, they'd utilise robots and computers due to the difficulty and expense of interstellar travel.
They May Not Arrive In Peace
Stephen Hawking has been fairly open about his thoughts on the possibility of alien life on Earth. In an interview, he speculated that the arrival of extraterrestrial beings might have a similar effect on native populations as Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Natural resources are likely to be highly valued by aliens, as they are by humans, according to the research of other experts.
They Could Eradicate Us
Astrobiologists have started to explore the potentially catastrophic risk of interplanetary contamination. Former NASA planetary protection officer John Rummel speculated to Astrobiology Magazine that alien germs may be harmless. Of course, they might not. This is why there are so many precautions in place to ensure that alien microorganisms in intergalactic samples don't end up on Earth.
They Will Be Unpredictable
Who can predict the behaviour of aliens if we don't know what they look like, what they appear like in form, or why they would want to make contact with humans? Shostak noted in an interview that if humans and aliens ever met, "it would be like humans meeting trilobytes," since aliens may be billions of years ahead of us in technology. In a Darwinian system, violence is rewarded, but they might also be peaceful.
Aliens might have developed in the same way as humans have, with the capacity for both aggressive conflict and peaceful settlement. In any case, if evolution is predicated on survival of the fittest, then they can reasonably guess that aggressive instincts will be present in extra as well. No one knows if aliens can control their violent urges or if they will destroy us.
