Extraterrestrial: a new discovery

Searching for planets with life

Alien zoo

Introduction

Aliens on Aurelia

Aliens on Blue Moon

Really interesting planets - the ones which might support large-scale life - are much too far away for us to visit any time soon. But we can begin to imagine what some of them could be like. TV company Big Wave has worked with biologists, planetary scientists and physicists to imagine two worlds that could exist millions of light years away. They have used computer simulations and knowledge of Earth and our Solar System to work out what these planets could be like. The fascinating results appear in this exhibition and in the Channel 4 TV documentary Alien Worlds.

Imagining aliens
Some distant planets could support alien life. But what might this life be like? The only example that scientists have is life on Earth, which needs carbon-based chemicals and water. There may be alien life forms based on different chemicals - some of these could be so strange that we would not recognise them. But astronomers are looking for Earth-like planets, so scientists have imagined aliens based on water and carbon.
Aliens that need energy to live
All aliens would need energy to live. Alien plants could change light from the planet's star into energy. Alien creatures could get energy from eating these plants - or other animal-like creatures.
Aliens that depend on each other
Different life forms on Earth depend on each other in lots of ways. This is called an ecosystem. It's likely that aliens would also be interdependent and have an ecosystem.
Aliens that reproduce
No life form on Earth lasts forever - though some live a long time. For a species to survive it must reproduce. Aliens would also need to reproduce, just like Earth creatures.
Aliens that evolve
Like life on Earth, aliens would evolve over time. How they would end up looking and behaving would depend on a lot of things - such as where they live and what other creatures live there.
So what would aliens look like?
Nobody knows what aliens would really look like, but there are some physical features that have evolved many times on Earth. Scientists believe this means that they could evolve on other planets too.
Eyes
Seeing the world around you helps you to find food and avoid being eaten. Nearly all biologists agree that some aliens would have eyes.
Limbs
Having special limbs for different tasks is useful. Aliens are likely to develop limbs with special functions too: arms, legs - and wings.
A control centre
It makes sense for complex creatures to have a brain that controls their bodies. And brains work best when they are close to the major senses. So, more sophisticated aliens could have a head containing their brain, eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

To learn more :
>> Aurelia world.
>> Blue Moon world.