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Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like

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Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2018-02-26 09:42, Panthera Tigris Altaica wrote:
>> On Monday, February 26, 2018 at 5:06:29 AM UTC-5, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>> On Sun, 25 Feb 2018 19:57:35 -0800, a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> The aliens, like humans
>>>
>>> "We have one example of intelligent life (not counting cetaceans,
>>> elephants, corvids, cephalopods etc) so we're going to generalise from
>>> that example!"
>>>
>>> Sheesh. They need to interview a more interesting class of scientists.
>
>> None of those have hands. Corvids might be able to use their beaks and
>> their feet, but without true hands they'll have serious problems. The
>> article actually mentioned cephalopods, which have even bigger disadvantages
>> than do corvids. First, being under water will be a significant handicap
>> to the development of, among other things, chemistry (and its sidekick
>> metallurgy) and electricity (and its sidekicks electromagnetic fields).
>> Second, they don't have hands either, and tentacles are notably clumsier.
>> Elephants and cetaceans are simply out of the running; an elephant's trunk
>> is just one, very clumsy, tentacle, making them even worse off than
>> cephalopods, and cetaceans don't even have that. No hands equals no hope
>> of developing anything even close to a technical civilisation.
>
> ObSFW:
>
> The issues of hands-free intelligent life are examined in some of the
> Known Space works, most pertinently in "The Handicapped".
>

Speaking of the Niven's Grogs, there's Pard from _The Healer_ (Wilson).
Pard's only mobility is derived from using gravity to drop from a cave
ceiling.
    Pard's a small sentient parasitic blob that waits on a cave ceiling
for a host. When a suitable host passes underneath, he drops on the
host's head and transfers his consciousness into the host to form a
symbiotic mind.
    Pard, of course, requires a human host. But there's a slim to none
chance of finding humans on other planets.

Thank you,

--
Don

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OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> - 2018-02-25 19:57 -0800
  Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@sometimes.sessile.org> - 2018-02-26 10:06 +0000
    Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Panthera Tigris Altaica <northerntiger@outlook.com> - 2018-02-26 07:42 -0800
      Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2018-02-26 22:26 -0500
        Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-02-26 21:44 -0800
          Re: Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Cryptoengineer <treifamily@gmail.com> - 2018-02-27 20:53 -0600
        Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Panthera Tigris Altaica <northerntiger@outlook.com> - 2018-02-27 14:35 -0800
          Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2018-02-27 21:55 -0500
            Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2018-02-27 21:46 -0800
              Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> - 2018-02-28 08:27 -0700
            Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2018-02-27 21:49 -0800
            Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like Panthera Tigris Altaica <northerntiger@outlook.com> - 2018-02-28 07:46 -0800
              Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> - 2018-02-28 11:55 -0800
              Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2018-02-28 22:19 -0500
                Re: OT suspected - Here�s what aliens probably look like Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> - 2018-03-01 16:37 +1300
      Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2018-02-27 15:29 -0600
        Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-02-28 06:56 +0000
          Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2018-02-28 07:18 +0000
            Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-02-28 14:53 +0000
          Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-02-28 00:23 -0800
            Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like Sjouke Burry <burrynulnulfour@ppllaanneett.nnll> - 2018-02-28 13:42 +0100
            Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-02-28 14:54 +0000
        Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> - 2018-02-28 10:33 -0800
          Re: OT suspected - Here's what aliens probably look like nance@math.ohio-state.edu (Anthony Nance) - 2018-03-01 14:07 +0000
    Re: OT suspected - Here’s what aliens probably look like a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> - 2018-02-26 10:17 -0800

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