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Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

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Predicting what extra-terrestrials will be like: and preparing for the worst.

Simon Conway Morris¹

¹Department of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK. sc113@esc.cam.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences

|January 12, 2011

Summary

Darwinian evolution likely governs alien life, but its form is predictable. We may be alone, or encounter life strikingly similar to Earth

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Area of Science:

Astrobiology
Evolutionary Biology
Origin of Life

Background:

The nature of extraterrestrial life and evolution is largely unknown.
Assumptions about alien life range from the bizarre to the familiar.
Current understanding suggests life may be constrained by physical and chemical limits.

Purpose of the Study:

To challenge the assumption that alien life must be strange and unpredictable.
To propose that evolutionary outcomes are remarkably predictable.
To explore the implications of predictable evolution for extraterrestrial life.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of evolutionary principles.
Examination of terrestrial life's physical and chemical constraints.
Consideration of evolutionary convergence and life's determinate structures.

Main Results:

Terrestrial life may be near the universal limits for habitability.
Evolutionary convergence suggests predictable outcomes, potentially leading to intelligent life.
Despite predictability, the possibility of Earth-like biospheres is extremely unlikely.

Conclusions:

The outcomes of evolution, even in alien biospheres, are likely predictable.
The universe may paradoxically be devoid of life, or host life similar to Earth's.
The profound implications of either scenario warrant serious consideration.