"Advanced dinosaurs" may rule other planets

Adam Khor

Yeah... I don´t know what dinosaurs have to do with the article's actual subject, but whatever...

http://phys.org/news/2012-04-advanced-dinosaurs-planets.html

Just reminded me of the Zorgons in Zathura (good memories XD)

Rubecula

There is on Earth a thing called convergent evolution. Where creatures in similar environments in different placed evolve to fill the same niche, and consequently look something similar despite not being related.

It is possible that a similar environment on a different planet could cause a similar looking creature or creatures to evolve.

But until we find such a place nobody will know.

D1stant

Jesus. Cowen must have been on the beer again last night :pac:

Adam Khor

Rubecula wrote: »

There is on Earth a thing called convergent evolution. Where creatures in similar environments in different placed evolve to fill the same niche, and consequently look something similar despite not being related.

It is possible that a similar environment on a different planet could cause a similar looking creature or creatures to evolve.

But until we find such a place nobody will know.

Or maybe the conspirationists are right and dinosaurs were put here by reptiloid aliens to study their own evolution live and direct (!!)

Capt'n Midnight

Rubecula wrote: »

There is on Earth a thing called convergent evolution. Where creatures in similar environments in different placed evolve to fill the same niche, and consequently look something similar despite not being related.

on this planet four limbed, five fingered vertebrates are the norm on land - because they got lucky


Arthropods might have been dominant with better cardiovascular systems
though coconut crabs are bigger than the average land animal


Cephalopods are brainy too.




Who knows what else didn't make it past the Cambian

Wibbs

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

on this planet four limbed, five fingered vertebrates are the norm on land - because they got lucky

True. I dunno it's a hard one. Convergent evolution does tend to favour an overall shape "fit for purpose". If it's large, mobile and lives in the sea; shark, cod, reptile or mammal it tends to look like a "fish".

Intelligence, specifically the type of intelligence that externalises it's own evolution has only happened once on this planet*, so it's hard to draw conclusions based on that. Life may be common in the universe. Complex life might be rare, intelligent life may be incredibly rare. A couple per galaxy rare. We just don't know and can only paw about in the dark basing any questions on just one example, us. Of course it only happened once that we know of. Maybe there were very early "hominid" type dinos around and we just haven't found them yet? Rare and living in regions not overly conducive to fossilisation. A dinosaur "Lucy" so to speak.






*Corvids and primates and cetaceans etc can be intelligent. Sometimes very. There are crows that are quicker at doing puzzles than many people. A number of animals use tools, have basic cultures etc Even the huble honeybee has a language. However we have an extra component to that intelligence, an X factor that marks us apart.

Galvasean

What is this "Wacky Dino Theory Month"?

Rubecula

A very well put together post IMO Wibbs. Thanks.

Ok this topic would go well in the Sci Fi forum or at best the Astronomy forum (which I also frequent. But so saying it is wonderful to be able to have these little flights of fancy down the unbeaten sidetracks of our minds.

Well, simply put, I actually like this thread even though it is a bit out of the way.

So a sauropod like creature with it's extra nerve bundle developed could actually have two brains if it had lived long enough to evolve. (Perhaps) So somewhere out there could be a paleontologist Sauropod thinking that those dinky little hominid creatures may have also developed intelligence if they had survived there.

Although I think the opposable thumb probably helped us develope along a bit even if it wasn't the initial cause of our intelligence. Complex vocalisation also helped I think as with both our vocal chords and our motile tongue we could form enough complex sounds to create a usable language to discuss obscure topics.

There are a lot of evolutionary details that we share with other creatures but only by putting them all together have we managed to evolve our particular brand of intelligence. It may be that somewhere out there other creatures have developed such evolutionary traits. Or even found other ways to become intelligent.

Perhaps one day we will know.

By the way with Billions of galaxies out ther, even if there is an average of only one intelligence per galaxy ( I think it is likely there are more) there will still be billions of species out there at least as capable as our own.