The Perfect Alien

As far as I can see , the "perfect" evolvement of an alien must observe the following criteria.

1.... The creature must breathe (preferably) air.

2.... T he being would be subject to the "square cube law". Accordingly the "visitor "would not be much larger than the largest human and may very well be a little smaller.

Its a limiting factor you see ....if you double the height of a being and yet still maintain the same proportions then the weight will increas by a factor of 800%.

If this sounds odd, imagine the average 150lbs man. For him to increase in height he must also increase in mass and weight.

The formula reads 150x2 squared,which in this case is 1200lbs.

This would make for a rather cumbersome weight to be carrying about and would create the obvious difficulties in the handling of small tools.

You cant repair a watch with a large wrench. Small parts require delicate handling for which the "mechanic needs reasonably small sensitive fingers and use small , light tools.

3....The creature must also b a plant AND a meat eater.. The plant eater must spend ALL OF ITS TIME grazing on low protein foods. A meat eater is able to spend time resting after it has dined. If a creature has adapted to a dual diet it is far superior to a meat eater or a grazer mainly because it can survive famine.

It is the same creature that will eventually evolve to a stage where leisure time becomes available for the satisfaction of curiosity about its enviroment. and purpose of life.

4.... The being must weigh at least 40 pounds according to the theoretical rules of biological construction. Its a scientific fact that the brain of advanced and intelligent beings must have a high mental capacity and must weigh at least two pounds.. at least a 40 pound body would be necessary to house the two pound brain.

5....Since the brain is the most important possession of intelligent beings, nature will have created a form of defence for it throughtout evolution of the species, a type of armour to protect it from injury.. The most natural answer is a skull made of bone matter.

6...The basic rules of biological construction promote the use of two eyes and two ears. One eye would prevent the being from distance estimation and would limit side vision... two eyes combine to form the proper three dimensional perception. Additional eyes would only confuse the messages reaching the brain. A similar case is made out for two ears.

7... It would also be necessary for the eyes and the ears to be situated as near as possible to the brain (i.e. in the skull) in order that the reception of danger signals and the appropriate muscular reaction may be shortened as much as possible.

8.... Our friend must have arms and legs ......... it must be able to move about or it could not gather materials to satisfy its needs. It will have to have a pair of hands with bending fingers and thumbs to make for the most efficient use of tools.

In early evolution, the creature may have had four legs but it will soon learn to stand erect and the two unused limbs will evolve into hands if it is to acquire the ability to construct things.

Only hands will suffice for construction........... a claw or beak or talon will not be able to do the tasks required niether will a tentacle.

9... The creature must be land orientated.l


There ya go .............Ive just described you and me

Reptiles ........naah, they just dont fit into the scenario do they. Well thats my opinion or is thre some other criteria I have missed which would invalidate my presumptions ?

JayKew

If one assumes the aliens are experienced spacefarers, then...

1. Be small in stature and slim in build, to optimize room in cramped quarters.

2. Have very simple organ structure to be less complicated by constant zero-g.

3. Have light and flexible bones more similar to cartilidge to guard against decomposing in zero-g, as well as to aid in the rigors of quick maneuvers as evidenced by sightings.

4. Be able to see in low light as not that bright in space unless near a star.

5. Have dextrous fingers, preferably with suction cupping, to grip with, as there is no gravity resistance in zero-g.

6. Have an efficient digestive system and waste disposal system for extended space travel.

etc. etc.

Sounds like a Grey to me!

I find your theory interesting, but possibly flawed. Isn't it possible that a perfect alien would have a biological system completley different from that of earth. The term alien in itself means something strange or unknown to us. Maybe they don't have to breathe. They could be gasous forms and not solid, etc.

So to me, the perfect evolvment of an alien would be just that, perfectly alien.

But Third Density .......... if it was gaseous and not solid, just how could it construct things ?

t

Telekinetics perhaps? Ahh see? SO many variables....

I thought we had already identified the perfect "alien":
Bacteria.

And here is where the mystery deepens...

Mind over matter manipulation, instant thought manifestation, ways that our minds couldn't comprehend?

Or maybe they sub contract the work out to the greys/grays.

Sub contracting the work out ??

Ha ha ha !!

But back to reality ..........how could you conquer or control other planets if you were just a gas ..........it really does need a physical body to progress in life.

A gaseous form just couldnt do the job could it.

Originally posted by JayKew

But back to reality ..........how could you conquer or control other planets if you were just a gas ..........it really does need a physical body to progress in life.

Hard to say let alone comprehend. Their reality may be totally different than ours.

If you were a Star Trek fan you'd know... A gas had pretty much killed quite a few red shirts before Kirk and friends even came up with a plan, hehe...

I'd say a gas lifeform, if sentient and determined to conquer, with the properties of acid, poison, etc. would be QUITE the formidable foe!

What would you do against it? Shoot it? Nope, ineffective. If it was immune to ballistics and heat, you've pretty much neutralized the majority of all human weapons, hehe...

Again, too many variables here.

Any life form that wishes to conquer/rule/control another life form must have a physical need to.

An "intellectual" reason just wont wash.

"I want to conquer/rule/control you so that I can suck out all the energy waves from your brain" is really a no no.

"I want to conquer/rule/ control you because I want your land/oil/gold/ladies"...now thats much more sensible.

I struggle to accept this "gaseous entity" concept quite simply because of its physical limitations and also the problems it would pose in central coordination of itself.

It must have a central brain system............a gaseous system obviously stretches for miles.... control must obviously be difficult.

We must agree to differ

Let's consider a gas entity such as the mythological vampire mist.

Here is an entity that would theoretically exist by drawing blood cells out of an enveloped victim, much as leaches do. It's nervous system isn't central, but more like more primitive life, it could be split apart, separated, then merge back together, etc. with the sum of it's cells forming it's neural path (basically sparks from cell to cell through the gas cloud).

This entity has a "physical need", the need for blood. While it doesn't have hands to grasp, nor feet to walk, if it had means of movement (shaping itself to push air behind it for propulsion, etc.) it could possibly herd suitable "food" etc., conquer a planet, you name it.

It's all pure speculation. If we're talking about alien life, a lot of what would be "ideal" would depend on the world in question. We've seen life exist in all kinds of extremes here on Earth, from the frozen waters of Antarctica, to the heat of deep sea volcanic vents. We see the dolphin, fairly close to sentience perhaps. If an alien world was all ocean, perhaps the intelligent life there would be more like a dolphin? Again, so many variables, it's hard to make even a rough guess....

"The Ancient Ones" from the fiction of HP lovecraft.


1.... The creature must breathe (preferably) air.
Well, not necesarily. They ought to be capable of rapid movement, and thus have a way of speeding up their metabolism; but breathing is not the only way to acheive this. HPL hand the ancient ones using a chemical reaction based on H20 - Peroxide conversion cycle, I think. They could exist on land, or under water indifferently.


2.... T he being would be subject to the "square cube law".
The old ones had a stiff hide composed of strong cells held rigid by tergor pressure, like the cacti . . . They were about 3 m high, if I remember right.


3....The creature must also b a plant AND a meat eater
The ancient one were that as well, so they could survive in varied environs. Instead of pursuing mechanical, innanimate tools, they had learned genetic engineering. They used the nervous systems of their "livestock" t construct immense organic-based computers. Their farms and factories were composed of specially altered life-forms, who produced needed items on a cellular level. This gave them much more liesure time than humans have known. Their powers of mind control allowed them to use lesser creatures as servants and workers, somewhat like overseers on a plantation.

4.... The being must weigh at least 40 pounds according to the theoretical rules of biological construction.
The ancient ones are exceptionally heavy as long as they are kept cold.

5....Since the brain is the most important possession of intelligent beings, nature will have created a form of defence for it throughtout evolution of the species, a type of armour to protect it from injury.. The most natural answer is a skull made of bone matter.
This is only true for vertabrates. One of the most complex brains on earth is that of the octopus, which has no brain-case.

6...The basic rules of biological construction promote the use of two eyes and two ears. This has been true on earth, where complex life is almost all descended from the vertebrates. If there is no neural tube, then there is no need for a vertabra, with all the sense organs at one end. The ancient ones have a 5-fold symmetry, with sense organs/"hands" at the ends of retractible stalks.

7... It would also be necessary for the eyes and the ears to be situated as near as possible to the brain (i.e. in the skull)
Not necesarrily. This is only true if the creature survives by having a fast response to predators. (i.e. housefly). The ancient ones, with their powers of mind control, minimize physical movement.

8.... Our friend must have arms and legs
The ancient ones do; 5-fold symmetry around the radial axis/alimentary cannal. 5 sets of tentacle arms, and 5 pods on which it creeps. earlier in their evolutionary history, they had been capable of flight, but the wings fell into disuse as they began to be capable of levitation; although as time went on, they became less and less mobile, as they grow dormant while awaiting the next interplanetary migration.


9... The creature must be land orientated.l
The ancient ones were indifferent to water, and had continued to utilize their population base, even after the nuclear war that split the continent of antarctica in the Cenozoic era . . .

Originally posted by JayKew

Any life form that wishes to conquer/rule/control another life form must have a physical need to.

How about this?
"I want to take over your planet before you blow it up, ruin your whole solar system, and in turn screw up neighboring systems like mine."

Far fetched I admit, but then again aren't we?

star trek had it right


pure energy


but seriously, the life form would be dependent on its home planets enviroment right ? we can't even be sure it would be carbon based, maybe water is toxic to some life forms.....form follows function....relative G's, atmosphere, sunlight, available food, reproduction, lifespan.....

Naah, I dont buy that one.

We are soooooooooo far away from any potential life forms that no matter what damage we did here even to the extent of obliterating ihe planet, it would have no affect whatsoever on our "neighbours".

Thats just Sci Fi talk.............no basis for fact whatsoever.

Its similar to someone from the USA turning up here in England with a sawn off shotgun because I was dismantling a garden shed.

The perfect aliens are not in the form of matter, they are plasmatic creatures who evolved through billions of years. They can travel through space, and could destroy the Earth by simply thinking of it, but they definitely mean no harm to us.

Do you honestly believe that Earth could be wiped out, obliterated, totally destroyed by an entity that did this simply by thought ?

You really believe this ?

Do you really believe, that they can't do it?

I really believe that they cant do it !!

It sstretches credability much too far.