Arthropods are about as alien to us as another highly evolved bilateral animal can be. That’s undoubtedly the reason why their looks and features are often adopted into science fiction for creating odd-looking extraterrestrial beings. The differences between them and us -vertebrates- seem like night and day! But despite their […]
Category: Alien Analysis
Are Cambrian Explosions Universal?
Bilaterians, the kind of creature we are most familiar with, have dominated the Animal Kingdom for well over half a billion years. But during the long period before their big breakthrough, they were living in the shadows. For tens of millions of years, they were just an odd collection of […]
Constraints Shape Animal Phyla
Evolution has no long term direction and no end-goal. It is governed by chance events, both genetic mutations within the organisms themselves and the ever wandering environment they try to survive in. And the same will hold true on other planets as well. With every contingency follows the establishment of novel […]
Contingency Decides Life’s Fate
The Cambrian explosion was when evolution GOT REAL! Often called the “Big Bang” of biology, it marks the period when the earliest animals diversified into a remarkably wide range of different life forms, leading to the major groups known today. Famed paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould made the case […]
Building Body Plans
How plausible are Humanoid Aliens as often depicted in science fiction? The previous part of this video series featured a global introduction to this question. In this part, we are going to take a closer look at the general human body plan. What major elements is it made […]
Humanoid Aliens: How plausible are they?
Pop quiz! Let’s test your scientific acuity! Which of the following concept aliens do YOU think is the most plausible? Now, finally, how about this one: All right, the answer will follow later… You probably noticed a lot them were humanoids. Humanoids are sentient creatures that resemble our […]
Subnautica: Alien Fauna Analysis
Subnautica is an immensely popular survival game receiving high ratings everywhere. A big part of its appeal is its fascinating fauna and flora, that both feels realistic and is mesmerizing at the same time. But what if Subnautica played out in real life and planet 4546b actually existed? […]