Intelligent aliens, if they exist, weigh over 300 kilograms. This is stated in a new study based on a mathematical model of probabilities.
Cosmologist Fergus Simpson of the University of Barcelona made his conclusion based on the assumption that living organisms on other planets obey the same laws of conservation of energy that operate on Earth.
It is believed that terrestrial planets have the best conditions for detecting life outside the solar system. Large living things require more resources and use more energy and are therefore less common. This is why there are more ants on Earth than whales or elephants.
This, in turn, allowed the scientist to assume that the likelihood of meeting a smaller living creature in the Universe is higher than the chance of meeting a large organism. According to him, the Earth can be an example of one of the planets inhabited by intelligent beings of small size.
To determine the minimum size of an intelligent life form, Simpson used a mathematical model. Taking into account the diversity of forms on Earth, he determined the most likely size of organisms on other planets.
Other researchers agreed with their colleague's calculations about the average size, but noted the importance of taking into account other factors, such as the gravitational forces of the planet, that can affect the size and mass of the target aliens.
Researcher Duncan Forgan of the School of Physics and Astronomy at St Andrews University told Newsweek that planets with strong gravitational attraction can be home to smaller creatures, while tiny planets with weak gravity are suitable for larger creatures.
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Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute, which searches for intelligent alien life, added that large creatures live longer. According to him, high life expectancy is also needed to develop technology for establishing contact with the outside world.
At the same time, Shostak points out the shortcomings of the study - only our planet is used as a model, and large creatures are not always intelligent. He says that the special arrangement of the limbs and the vertical position of the torso, and not the body weight, helped to become intelligent people.
Indeed, in the search for intelligent life forms on other planets, the Earth cannot be regarded as a clear example. Any variable that affects population size or fertility is susceptible to selection bias, the scientist notes.
NASA's Kepler satellite data shows that billions of stars in the Milky Way have 1 to 3 planets in their habitable zone. The telescope has already discovered about 1000 planets around stars in our galaxy and about 3000 potential candidates for their role.
