Quirky News
Scientist's vision of alien life
A top British space scientist believes aliens exist - and look like giant jellyfish with hanging onion-like sacks.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock worked with an artist to show what she thought alien life might look like.
She believes the idea that extra-terrestrials will be humanoid is wrong and they are more likely to resemble floating jelly fish.
Dr Aderin-Pocock says our inter-galactic cousins would have metallic surfaces for light absorption, orange bottoms for camouflage and buoyancy sacks to maintain altitude.
They would "scope chemicals from the atmosphere" through a large opening, like a manta ray, and, if they are intelligent, "use pulses of light scintillating up and down their spines" to communicate.
Dr Aderin-Pocock reveals her belief that as many as four intelligent alien civilisations may exist in our galaxy.
But because the galaxy is so huge, she doubts whether humans will ever be able to contact them.
Dr Aderin-Pocock, currently working on the observation instruments for the Aeolus satellite, is one of the first credible scientists to claim that aliens probably do exist.
Her picture of an alien was commissioned to celebrate the launch of TV Channel Eden's Science Month this July.
Dr Aderin-Pocock explains: "Our imaginations are naturally constrained by what we see around us, and the conventional wisdom has been that life needs water and is carbon-based.
"But some researchers are doing exciting work, playing with ideas such as silicon-based life forms."
what do you think?
Ray Stoner
Lock her away; she's as mad as a hatter
bobh_385
No,she just has an open mind.Who knows what form alien life will take and why should it be humanoid?
kyle rambo
Because everyone else seems to thinks so! ET will be soooo P'd off when he finds out lol
Rob Shaw
If we are going to do this I might as well have a go. I reckon they all look like clowns, with no faces. Any advances?
Robbie369P .
Clowns with no faces, how do they smell? Oh wait, that's dogs with no noses.
John Sztucki
yeh quite right,tho' not impossible,is anything in an infinate universe ?,yes we can all have a go and come up with something that might exist somewhere,only 'probable' thing is that you're not going to meet one in the next 1000 yrs
Adrian Wagstaff
I've had a number of dreams and visions of Alien life. I use a capital A due to, well, it seems safer, really. What I dreamt is, Alien life tends to mostly resemble humans. I'm not saying that is the case or not, just, that's what I dreamt. I'm not joking. Nobody has to believe that. I'm just saying, I believe the Universe is probably full of humanoids, not self-inflating, giant, flying jelly fish. It's likely to be full of birds, too. Sometimes, space rocks pass through Earth's atmosphere. During millions of years that gives them enough time to take "anything" inside tornadoes back out to space. Seeds, frogs, viruses, bacteria, anything. Therefore, my assumption is, our Solar System is probably full of the same life as on Earth and by now it could have travelled to other Solar Systems and their life could have arrived easily on Earth and the empty vacuum of space is likely to be riddled with clouds of wandering life forms, frozen to -200 C?
Mike Anon
You've got to get off the drugs & booze Adrian!
Adrian Wagstaff
You are aware that a lot of alcohol molecules have been discovered in outer space? Alcohol is everywhere? Galaxies of alcohol clouds? Alien life is likely to include vast quantities of what plants?
Derek Porter
I was thinking that Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock must be completely nuts and then I read this.
Martin Beadle
from what we can tell the universe is riddled wih dna molecules. these molecules wil attempt to replicate in any environent, and create life forms adaped to the environment in which they were first form. to say all alien life will take one form seems very simplistic. even the life forms on our planet vary widely. i think either dr pocok is misguided, or this article is not very well researched
Martin Beadle
hmmm, need a new keyb...
Eric Clutterbean
what you saying they wont speak english! its a disgrace
bobh_385
lol yep the civilised universe ends at Dover lol
bobh_385
Ok for the conspiracy theorists out there is this the start of the "softening up" process to get the public used to the idea as contact has already been made
Adrian Wagstaff
Yes, contact has been made by SETI with a giant, self-inflating, flying jelly-fish with a face shaped like a human-built car bonnet. They are trying to decode the message of, "Blurble, blurble, blurble."
Brian E Gorton
Carl Sagan life in the cosmos.Could be from his book!!
Davefly Theuniuonflagbrown
Mr Spock may have something to say about ths!
Paul Randall
is it me or does her description of these aliens sound a bit like the Hanar in the Mass Effect series
Mikel roi
Speaking as an Alien (and thank you Adrian for the deserved "capital A") I think you are all in for a nasty surprise. You see I am dark, covered in dark hair with a large body and a small head. Oh, and I also have 8 long legs! Some other intelligent Aliens I have met here are much smaller, with much smaller legs, black shiny or reddish colour and they live in highly organised communities in spectacular cities of their own. There are literally mega billions of us Aliens about in your World living all around you and quite soon now we might take over .... (We couldn't make a worse job of running the planet than human kind!)
bobh_385
lol good one spiderman
Adrian Wagstaff
What makes him think I would read this? Perhaps, I didn't?
2mpume_nson
Here in Cape Town I have seen something almost like this but I thought it was different kinds of clouds
Jo Buckley
Obviously believes every Science-Fiction movie, or TV Show she has seen! Description is of Aliens fits those in re-make of "War of The Worlds"
Matthew Stoner
I know it's childish and very immature, but I proper chuckled when I read "hanging onion like sacks"...........On a more serious note though, anyone who doesn't believe in alien life is very niave.....who knows what it looks like....it's impossible to make any accurate description, could be a single cell......could be an entire being.......one thing for sure though, we wont be the only life in the Galaxy......
ShamblerZak
One of the first credible scientists? Stephen hawking thinks aliens exist!
Thomas Barker
Scientists first thoughts about the planets and moons of the Solar System were very wide of the mark and continue to be surprised. The fact we exist is a miracle what wonders that be elsewhere must be astounding.
J Smith
The House of Commons is full of them. Its obvious they don't know what is going on in the real world. Cameron, Clegg, Ball and Miliband or definitely not on this planet.
Simon Harbon
Alien's don't look like that we've all seen ET lol
Matt Cragg
10:32am on 6/7/2012
Has she been eating some of her grandmothers cookies?