Further, Conway Morris says, evolution operates predictably, producing relatively predictable outcomes. These two suppositions argue that alien life, if it exists, should be fairly similar to terrestrial life, generating intelligent beings much like us. These aliens may look unfamiliar, but any differences would be skin-deep.

There is reason to be wary of such creatures, according to Conway Morris.

“If intelligent aliens exist, they will look just like us, and given our far-from-glorious history, this should give us pause for thought,” he writes in the study, which was published today (Jan. 10) in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.