this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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Fermi Paradox. Are there aliens? Of course. Are they in our current time and local space? Probably not. It's it fun to think about? Yes, that's why science fiction exists.
More importantly, are they a lifeforms that we would even recognize as alive? The chances of an alien being humanoid are even slimmer. Then there's whether they develop intelligence, whether they care about space, and whether they survive long enough to get anywhere.
Counterpoint, why do dolphins and sharks look so alike when they have a completely different phylogenetic tree? They separately developed traits that were very well suited to the medium of water. Convergent evolution means that it isn't entirely unlikely that whatever we may find has similar traits to beings on earth, because we all exist in a universe of solids, liquids, and gasses.
Counter-counterpoint: both species come from the same tree of life, several of their traits taken for granted come from previous species' adaptation, e.g. bilateral symmetry. When you see, say, a molusk with the same bodyplan as a shark, we can talk about it being a common possibility.
What about the whole crabification thing?
While carcinisation does exist as a phenomenon, I believe all examples involve animals of the same order, i.e. it's even less extreme than comparing a shark and a dolphin.
Ah fair enough.