Comment on What is the origin of aliens looking like humans? Why and when did it become the norm?
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks agoConvergent Evolution might explain why intelligent species wind up being bipedal tetrapods.
I think there’s a competing argument here. Certainly not all aliens would be bipedal tetrapods, but the ones who go on to be tool-using, space-faring species probably would be.
pjwestin@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yeah, that’s my thinking as well, although to be clear, I’m not saying that intelligent life would be humanoid, just that it’s the most reasonable real-world explanation I can come up with for why fictional aliens look human. I’m not an exobiologist, and I have no idea what the leading theories are on what intelligent life might look like. I’m just saying that, whenever I’m watching some sci-fi with a bunch of human-looking aliens, my go-to head cannon to explain it away is Convergent Evolution, and it at least feels like a reasonable explanation.