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REAL ALIENS!
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	Would a two headed lizard be an example of bilateral symmetry?

Would they look like Us?

Maybe. The most successful species on our planet do have bilateral symmetry, (both arms and legs look the same.) But not all, the Octopus doesn't, and it's been around for millions of years. And they would likely have eyes, as most creatures on our planet have evolved visual organs, two seeming to be the most popular number, though some spiders and other species have quite a few.

Evolution is unpredictable.
With just a slight difference in Earth's history, it might have been the dinosaurs that evolved into the most intelligent species, not humans. At the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., Dr. Dale Russell created models of what humanoid life might have looked like if it had evolved from an intelligent dinosaur, rather than a mammal. An alien's physical shape may have some similarities to terrestrial life, since it may be able to survive better using that shape, or the shape can be dictated by natural laws of science. On worlds with Oceans, for example, they may have the shape of our own ocean-dwelling animals, as their sleek 'fish' shape has evolved because of the buoyancy of the water, instead of gravity. But it's physiology could be completely 'alien' to us.


Dr. Dale Russell, of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., created models of what intelligent dinosaur life might have looked like.


	Dr. Dale Russell's models of what human life might have looked like if it had evolved from intelligent dinosaurs instead of Mammals.

What else could they look like?

Look at the many strange and wonderful forms of life on our own planet and you'll find your answer. And alien life may appear even more bizarre and diverse. Planets will have vastly different types of environments or gravity. On small planets, with low-gravity, for example, plants might soar to the clouds, creatures could be tall, or have large lungs to breathe in a thin atmosphere. With less gravity, they may weigh less, and be thinner or more frail, having less of a need for sturdier appendages than we do here on Earth.

On a high-gravity planet, plants might be only a few feet from the ground, creatures would have to have short, squat legs to support heavy weight. They, too, would most likely evolve into shapes that are low to the ground. But Aliens might not even live on the ground at all.


Life is often controlled by our own perceptions. This alien looking creature is actually a greatly magnified dust mite.

Imagine a world with a surface unable to support life, filled with poisons and toxic chemicals.
Nothing can survive on this type of surface, but what about within the atmosphere itself? Scientists have imagined worlds where creatures evolve on clouds of carbon compounds, or on seas of helium within a planets atmosphere. These creatures may exist solely in the upper atmosphere, living and dying in the clouds, never touching the ground.

But we also are just thinking about life which may have evolved along the same lines as terrestrial life, which, despite it's outwardly diverse appearances, all share a common organic chemistry. We are all made of the same 'stuff,' carbon compounds. But imagine an alien with an entirely different organic chemistry, one based on Silicone, for example, an element that combines with other elements in a way similar to carbon. It would be able to withstand lethal radiations, and the cold vacuum of space. Could we even guess what it would look like?


	Some distant planets may have creatures like these living not on the planet;s surface, but floating within its atmosphere. These three artists' renderings of "Floaters" are from Carl Sagan's book, Cosmos.

Would they be intelligent?

The rarity or commonality of intelligence in the Universe (and on our own planet) is always a topic for debate. But chances are, intelligent life may not be the most 'common' form of life in the Universe. It's not on Earth. That title is given to 'microscopic' lifeforms. You have more in your belly than there are mammals in the world.


All life on Earth has common organic origins. Even this rarely seen ocean drifter, a six-inch Atolla wyvillei.


	Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Scientists from SETI come here to search for signs of intelligent life in the Universe in the form of radio waves.

But if there is life on other planets, it just might have evolved a sense of reason and intelligence for survival, and if so, we can learn about it by looking at ourselves.

It would have to be a larger-sized lifeform. It takes lots of cells for a complex intelligence, so the body must accommodate a generously-sized brain. An intelligent alien would probably have a pair of upper limbs and opposable thumbs to create tools, just like us. Also, a skeleton to protect and support vital organs is probably a good bet. And if they are as evolved as us, capable of sending radio signals, they would most certainly have a written language and high mathematical skills.


Could intelligent Alien life look like this frog? Maybe, if this frog was 6 ft tall! Intelligent species would likely need a large body to accommodate a larger brain.

So what if there IS life on other planets?

What difference does it make?

Why is it so important to know?
Simply this. If we find life, (any life, it need not be sentient) we will know how it has evolved, we will know whether those natural laws that are so prevalent in our own world are commonplace throughout the galaxy. We'll have something to compare terrestrial life to. And if we find even the smallest microbe, working and struggling to survive on some distant planet, we will know that life is commonplace throughout the galaxy. We will know more about our own origins and history.

We will find ourselves, and finally know that we are not alone.


		Mars Rock ALH84001 (left,) brought to Earth in the form of a meteorite, is thought to contain evidence of fossilized bacterial life (above,) though the findings are inconclusive.


	In 1835, the New York Times reported to have spotted Moon People who were purple, furry and winged but were otherwise like humans.

Moon People Hoax
In 1835, the New York Times told it's readers that alien life was found on the moon. Among the diverse life they say were spotted through a telescope, were creatures like ourselves, though they were purple, furry, and had wings. No such life was spotted on any of our trips to the moon!


Pegasi B was the first planet to be discovered orbiting another sun.

Brave New Worlds?
The first planet to be discovered orbiting another Sun, Pegasi B, is too close to the Sun's radiation and intense heat to support life, but new planets have since been discovered, and are being found by astronomers at an almost daily basis.