How would intelligent life look like on other planets?

originally posted by: LSU2018
a reply to: rickymouse

I wonder what they would eat and drink...

Cinnamon toast and coffee of course.

To determine what intelligent ET life would look like, you first need to determine what intelligence is. IMO, all animate life on Earth has some level of intelligence. Perhaps a better question would be, what would highly intelligent, technologically advanced ET life forms look like?

As far as upright tetrapods being a universal form for intelligent life, it would seem likely that similar forms occur in similar habitats so there would be numerous basic forms for life to take on alien worlds.

originally posted by: HouseMusic4Life
Realistically how would intelligent life look like on other planets?

From our own evolution we already know the basics that having 5 fingers with a thumb were essential for building tools and that walking upright allowed the development of the prefrontal cortex.

If these evolutionary processes for intelligent life are universal then shouldn't we also expect the same end result on other planets which is humanoid life. If so what type of humanoid life?

Would the evolution of life on other planets also start with fish , amphibians and reptiles or would it be something entirely different?

Can reptilian/amphibious lifeforms on other planets also evolve the capabilities of building tools and walking upright? Is that even possible? Or is the evolution for humanoid life only possible for primates?

No one really knows, they could be like us, they could be like things we see in movies or they could be something so alien we can't even imagine (after all, this is the meaning of word of extraterristrials).

The only thing that we know is that any kind of molecule able to bound ligaments can theoretically make life, so we could find alien life forms made of sylchon, carbon and other structures

I suggest taking a look on Expedition by Wayne Douglas Barlowe.

I have always thought that extraterrestrial life forms could be based on compounds other than carbon...like silicon. I do think that life capable of technological advance has to have an opposable digit in order to manipulate its environment and develop technology, walk upright for versatility and be capable of aggression and compassion, in order to have a reason to develop and advance.

Savage monsters with tentacles? No way, unless they remain bound to their home world. What about the Panspermia theory? Would that not influence, in some way, the basic structure thast then adapts to environment?

My most favoured theory for advanced life that reaches out into the Universe, is one that has merged with its technologies to overcome the dangers of space travel and the time required to traverse the distances.

Great question, OP.

The enviroment would lead the evolutionary path. We have no idea what that would be like. The look of the grey alien is the stereotypical human idea of high intelligence in a human form. A planet could be 90% water and high intelligence evolves underwater. It could be mountainous with beings that need flight to survive that evolve high intelligence. As someone else said, it could take the form of insects. Eyes wrapped around a head with 360 vision may be a survival trait. There's no way to know. Small humanoid beings is a lazy, unoriginal, uncreative guess.

Carl Sagan summed it up in the first part of this interview:
 youtu.be...

Human beings are the result of a unique evolutionary sequence based upon so many individually unlikely random events on the Earth. In fact I think most evolutionary biologists would agree that if you started the Earth out again and just let those random factors operate, you might wind up with beings that are as smart as us, and as ethical, and artistic, and all the rest, but they would not be human beings... and that's for the Earth. So on another planet, different enviroment, very unlikely to have human beings.

a reply to: fromtheskydown

Yep if we find intelligent life it's bound to be synthetic or a hyrbid of biology and synthetic.