internet, i am disappoint

[Pulchritude]

My thought is that there will be very few, if any, intelligent alien life forms.

[Ad Bot]

[fred da kiko]

world's biggest joint

[The Titanium]

We can't even begin to figure out what aliens look like.

Although, it isn't unlikely that aliens are bipedal, seeing as you are able to run, jump, and climb more effectively that on fours.

Or eights.

This logic is sort of flawed. You are comparing our own abilities to our own abilities, essentially. Of course we can walk on two feet, that's how our bodies are built.

You're essentially implying that aliens should be bipedal because we are bipedal.
And that pretty much brings us back to base one.

The most likely courses of evolution of intelligent would probably end with an intelligent biped.

Can you even say why?
There are countless, countless, countless ways intelligent life can form without bipedalism. It's simply irrelevant.

Here's a quote from Michio Kaku.
The octopus has eyes; very weak eyes. It has tentacles for which it can manipulate the environment. But it has no culture. It cannot transfer information from generation to generation. But if you could breed the octopus for millions of years, perhaps you could breed an octopus with the capability for speech, the capability for handing down information, and perhaps even a race! Another race of intelligent beings on the planet Earth. So the bottom line is... why should an alien life form look just like us?

[Ector]

forget you, image. I'm going to explore the bottom of the ocean.

[The Titanium]

We can't even begin to figure out what aliens look like.

Although, it isn't unlikely that aliens are bipedal, seeing as you are able to run, jump, and climb more effectively that on fours.

Or eights.

This logic is sort of flawed. You are comparing our own abilities to our own abilities, essentially. Of course we can walk on two feet, that's how our bodies are built.

You're essentially implying that aliens should be bipedal because we are bipedal.
And that pretty much brings us back to base one.

The most likely courses of evolution of intelligent would probably end with an intelligent biped.

Can you even say why?
There are countless, countless, countless ways intelligent life can form without bipedalism. It's simply irrelevant.

Here's a quote from Michio Kaku.
The octopus has eyes; very weak eyes. It has tentacles for which it can manipulate the environment. But it has no culture. It cannot transfer information from generation to generation. But if you could breed the octopus for millions of years, perhaps you could breed an octopus with the capability for speech, the capability for handing down information, and perhaps even a race! Another race of intelligent beings on the planet Earth. So the bottom line is... why should an alien life form look just like us?
Repeated because that image could probably distract everyone from the main point

[Katamari007]

Name three aliens from Hollywood that are not bipedal.

the Blob

The Martians from War of the Worlds

The Body Snatchers

[The Titanium]

Each with no explanation for their appearance.

[_Rave_]

^Well I see what you are getting at.  If a planet had very rough and rocky terrain, something like a spider would fare better than us.

[The Titanium]

Yes, that's possibly likely.

[Tingalz]

It's the most practical way. Two legs allows smooth and fast running, and I guess the only thing that would be variable is number of arms, fingers, eyes, etc.

[Ector]

It's the most practical way. Two legs allows smooth and fast running, and I guess the only thing that would be variable is number of arms, fingers, eyes, etc.

Well really, even on Earth there are places were it is better to have more than two legs.

If a planet had very rough and rocky terrain, something like a spider would fare better than us.

[Tingalz]

Well really, even on Earth there are places were it is better to have more than two legs.

you can always substitute arms for legs

[Qwepir]

There are countless, countless, countless ways intelligent life can form without bipedalism. It's simply irrelevant.

If you're an intelligent, tool-using terrestrial animal, you have no need for more than two legs. It's just unneeded for someone who doesn't need to physically catch their food.

[Ector]

you can always substitute arms for legs

Then nothing's stopping a creature with 7 eyes and 4 arms and razor-sharp teeth from coming into existence.

[The Titanium]

It's the most practical way. Two legs allows smooth and fast running, and I guess the only thing that would be variable is number of arms, fingers, eyes, etc.

Two legs?
Two legs are not the fastest thing in the world.
In fact, we are a lot less balanced in some ways.
Ever heard of a cheetah?
Birds can fly.
Being able to have "smooth and fast running" is completely irrelevant, anyway.
Life can have a completely different setup to accommodate its needs for energy. Think from the very bottom. Will arms, legs, eyes, fingers, will they evolve in every environment, evolve the same way?
The human hand is one of our defining characteristics. It can grip things very effectively.
There are innumerable other ways that good handling can be made.
Imagine a tentacle with a tentacle spiraling out near the end, making a sort of grip.
Or, perhaps, like the Eosapien, tentacle-like "fingers" that can grip things in ways far different than the human way.
Octopus tentacles grip things very strongly and perhaps very finely, perhaps even more finely with some tuning.

you can always substitute arms for legs

What if there were no legs to begin with? What if it was an aquatic ecosystem that had no legs in the first place? What if manipulation came from other places, a tail, perhaps, there are many, many, many ways things can work.

If you're an intelligent, tool-using terrestrial animal, you have no need for more than two legs. It's just unneeded for someone who doesn't need to physically catch their food.

Again, you're basing all life off of chordates.

Then nothing's stopping a creature with 7 eyes and 4 arms and razor-sharp teeth from coming into existence.

There is their environment, but if their environment favors such qualities, they sure as hell can develop them.