What if This type of Alien Shows Up?

Interesting proposition. While there have been many maverick aliens touching down to upset the local populace, as a rule that is not the case. And perhaps those were simply diversionary efforts to spread the general myth of UFOs by outlandish presentations--to get out attention.

Can't we expect that actual contact to be a lengthy affair and very drawn out without the physical appearance of the creatures themselves immediately being put upon us? Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood End, an epic and telling book, spends a lot of time discussing that issue where the alien overlord looks exactly like what we call the Devil.

Diplomacy, decorum and protocol will be the instructions for the day, agreed upon by all parties before anything major is revealed in any way.

That said, before we start envisioning blobs of slime sliding down a UFO ramp, or snapping-clawed lobster hulks, we need to think about how a creature must be fashioned by nature to allow it to become something more than just highly intelligent--dolphins come to mind. Opposing thumbs or some equivalent appendange would be necessary...or maybe super mind-over-matter capabilities?

reply to post by yigsstarhouse

Thats no alien, it has a claim to being an earthling just as much as you do.

reply to post by mackey1224uk


Thanks so much for getting the names for those, I have been trying to think of them all night and it was making me nutty!So yeah, those lines have different creatures depicted too! Phewww, I feel better now!

Interesting to me how many different directions the replies have gone for this. I have had some good chuckles and some things to think about as well. Looking forward to more!

[edit on 23-6-2010 by yigsstarhouse]

Originally posted by Hefficide

Well... Even though he wasn't invited, I suppose if he left my other guests alone and respected my property I'd let him hit the beer tub and mingle around.

My feelings exactly. If everyone would control their knee-jerk reactions, and assess the situation they are in, then the world would be a better place IMO. That's how I try to live my life at least. Lil guy is cute by the way. If I saw his big brother, I would be alert of course. But I would try my best to read their body language, and how they are acting and react to it. Be it good or bad.

Like Hefficide said, as long as they're respectful and whatnot, I would love to hang in a bar. Hell, if we could communicate, I am sure he/she would've seen a lot. My curiosity for this solar system and whatever is out beyond it would hopefully get satisfied.

reply to post by yigsstarhouse


Insects 12 feet high would not be able to survive on earth unless they were in a space suit. The simple reason is the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. Insects don't have lungs and oxygen moves through their bodies mostly by diffusion which limits how large they can get. The more oxygen, the bigger they can grow.

Here is a chart of oxygen content on earth over the last billion years:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/eb1154ad24f9.jpg[/atsimg]


300 million years ago when oxygen levels were at 35% as opposed to around 20% now, some insects did get bigger:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4d126d950671.jpg[/atsimg]


So if 12 foot alien insects decided to visit, they would have come from planets with much more oxygen and be in space suits.

reply to post by alienreality


Very good point. I know if the masses found out that theory is true, that scenario could play out in many different ways. I just want to move onto the next step in our place here in the universe. I really hope that at some point in my lifetime, we as a species will be able to intermingle with extraterrestrials. I would LOVE to learn more about all the different species, planets, & systems out there. As long as I am not poked and prodded, I would LOVE to go exploring all of the corners of this universe. You'd most likely never see the same thing twice. Oh the possibilities.

reply to post by Nicolas Flamel


Although, just because they don't have lungs on this planet, there's nothing to suggest that they couldn't evolve them on another planet. If you're thinking completely out of the box and into the straight jacket, there's nothing to suggest that they would need oxygen at all...

How would you feel if a lion had an equal (or far superior) intelligence and technological capability than yourself? How about an alligator?

Would you fear them? I would.

Basically, I have a problem with anything that could tear my limbs off with little effort.

But, the fact remains ... any species capable of deep space travel would be one that MOST LIKELY had reconciled any aggressive nature tens of thousands of years ago on their own planet. Or else, they'd be just like humans and still fighting wars on their own planet and not worried about space exploration.

At least, that's my hope. I sure as hell hope mankind's future doesn't mirror that of the film Avatar. That's a sad, greedy and materialistic future that I don't want my descendants to have to live in.

My thought is that any visiting alien is very unlikely to be biological - they will be machines.

Our own evolutionary path seems to be heading in that direction - or machines will simply make war with us in the future, and if that is the case - they will almost certainly win.

Machines will likely outstrip our capabilities on all levels, perhaps within a century - aliens may be more interested in our computers than us - considering biological organisms just an evolutionary step.



[edit on 23-6-2010 by Amagnon]

Originally posted by nik1halo
reply to post by Nicolas Flamel

 

Although, just because they don't have lungs on this planet, there's nothing to suggest that they couldn't evolve them on another planet. If you're thinking completely out of the box and into the straight jacket, there's nothing to suggest that they would need oxygen at all...

True, but the laws of physics seem to be the same everywhere so water/carbon based life would be similar. If they did have lungs, they would no longer be "insects" but some more bizarre form of life.

Easy answer, we'll be very, very dead.
If something evolved out of a type of insect, we shouldn't expect much mercy or things like that.

Originally posted by Nicolas Flamel
reply to post by yigsstarhouse

 

Here is a chart of oxygen content on earth over the last billion years:

This is an interesting chart when you realize that we are all dead as soon as that blue line moves more than 1 or 2% up or down from 21%.

reply to post by yigsstarhouse


I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords

Take me too your leader....

Originally posted by 0R10N

Originally posted by Hefficide

Like Hefficide said, as long as they're respectful and whatnot, I would love to hang in a bar. Hell, if we could communicate, I am sure he/she would've seen a lot. My curiosity for this solar system and whatever is out beyond it would hopefully get satisfied.

Perhaps you could satisfy their curiosity regarding what you taste like also - and satisfy their hunger at the same time

[edit on 23-6-2010 by Amagnon]

reply to post by yigsstarhouse


I don't think it matters what they look like. The number of sci-fi shows that have depicted some really different looking aliens, with drastically different cultures has, i believe, really gone a long way to helping the acceptance of others. Not just aliens but other human beings as well.

As long as they don't kill, enslave and/or eat anyone then they're fine by me.

That mantis is well hung to boot.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by disfugured]

I love this kind of thread OP, thanks!

Ok first off I am of the firm opinon that the fear of many "shapes" is hardwired into our genes. The Mantis, Spider, Snake and many others preyed on us for -millions- of years. We only got to where we are today by either running from or killing these archetype shapes in turn. Now this is not to say we cannot use intellect to overcome our fears but for many, no matter how nice these "people" may be the shape will inspire fight or flight.

Thing is that shape might also be our downfall. What if they are a civilization of Pandas? looking all cute and cuddly- Humans go "aww dey sooo cute!" which of course turns out to be a major insult to this warrior race and then the deathrays are melting faces leaving only the panda plushy smouldering on the ground.

Dolphins are cute, Sun spiders are not, Red Pandas are adorable, Cuttlefish not so much.

A book I would recommend is "Nor Crystal tears" which describes the first contact between the Mantis like Thranx and Humans. The two races have a lot in common and would be so good for each other but their shape fears could destroy the relationship before it starts.





[edit on 23-6-2010 by Helmkat]

Interesting that you'd use a praying mantis. When I was younger, I was deathly afraid of the praying mantis, for no apparent reason. I wasn't afraid of grasshoppers or other insects, not even spiders. For some reason, the mantis scared the hell out of me and it was completely irrational.

I am not going to draw conclusions as to why, because I have no memory of anything happening, but I do remember reading that people describe a certain alien as being very much resembling a praying mantis.

I will say that my father had a significant missing time episode from his youth, and I have seen a UFO up close in broad daylight, so who knows...

reply to post by yigsstarhouse


That is an awesome photo by the way. Forgot to mention that. It looks like it was doing a karate pose for you too.. haha.

reply to post by nik1halo


Your post pretty much mirrors my thinking on this... thanks for saving me the trouble of all that typing.

I think it makes total sense that for any other lifeform to develop our capability (and beyond), it would have to have similar physical limitations, evolutionary needs, and intellectual capacity. I suspect that the first time we make contact with an alien lifeform we will be quite amazed how similar to us they are.