Movies, TV shows, and video games have helped humanity paint a mental picture of what aliens might look like if we ever run into them, but most of the time those fictional depictions have little or no scientific backing whatsoever. Researchers searching for extraterrestrial life don’t necessarily know exactly what they’re looking for, but based on what we’ve learned about humanity’s rise there’s a handful of things nature tells us are required for advancement of a civilization. In the book “The Future of Humanity,” author Michio Kaku attempts to answer the incredibly difficult question of what aliens might look like, and this time it’s not just a guess.

　　电影，电视节目和电子游戏帮助人类勾勒了外星人的样子，但大多数这些虚构的描绘几乎没有任何科学依据。寻找外星人的研究人员不需要准确了解他们寻找的事物，但根据我们对人类崛起的了解，大自然告诉我们的一些东西是推动文明发展所需要的。在《人类的未来》一书中，作者卡库试图回答关于外星人可能是什么样子的难题，这次不仅仅是猜测。

　　Kaku consulted with exobiology experts and theorists who specialize in hypothetical alien life forms which have developed on far-off worlds much different from Earth. Using that accumulated knowledge, Kaku came up with a very basic list of criteria that any intelligence alien race would need to have in order to reach a level similar to humanity.

　　卡库咨询了外来生物学专家和理论家，他们专门研究了在与地球有很大差异的世界里所形成的假设的外星人生命形式。卡库通过这种方式，收集了大量的关于这方面知识，提出了一个基本的标准列表，任何外星人种族都需要具备这些标准才能达到与人类相似的水平。

　　As the New York Post reports, the requirements that Kaku has dreamt up are essentially the same capabilities that scientists believe have allowed humans to progress in the way that we have:

　　正如《纽约邮报》报道的那样，卡库想象的外星人在某些行为习惯及需求上，和人类赖以推动进步的能力有些相似之处。具体表现如下：

　　Stereo vision – Two eyes capable of focusing on a single object are something we typically associate with predators here on Earth. Prey animals often have one eye on either side of their head which allows them to spot threats and escape quickly, but that type of ocular setup is poor when it comes to hunting. Kaku suggests that most if not all “intelligent” alien races would have originated as hunters, rather than the hunted.

　　立体视觉-指能够专注于单个物体的两只眼睛，也是与地球上的猎食者离不开的工具。一般来说，猎食动物的头部两侧各有一只眼睛，这使得它们能够迅速发现威胁并逃脱危险，但是在狩猎时拥有这种眼睛的猎食者往往达不到预期的收获。卡库由此认为，这些外星人种族，大多数都会起源于猎人，而不是被猎杀者。

　　Thumbs – Scientists have long believed that evolution which led to opposable thumbs was a huge factor in the rise of primates. A method of grasping objects allows for the making of tools which, it is thought, is one of the very earliest signs of intelligence as we know it. It makes sense that aliens would have followed a similar path.

　　大拇指：长期以来，大拇指的进化是灵长类动物兴起的一个重要因素。拥有大拇指的手可以允许我们抓取物体允许制造工具，据我们所知，它是最早的智能标志之一。外星人会遵循类似的道路是有道理的。

　　Language – This one is a bit tricky because it’s incredibly non-specific. The key here isn’t just the ability to communicate with each other in the moment — many animals have species-wide methods of vocal communication that could be considered language — but also to relay information and pass it down between generations. This allows the accumulation of knowledge over long periods of time and gives new members of a species the chance to expand and “stand on the shoulders” of those who came before them.

　　语言-这是一个让人难以言表的问题，因为它是抽象的，不具体的。语言的重点不仅说的是彼此间的沟通能力 - 许多动物被视为语言性物种，他们不仅能够辨别语言传达的意思，而且还可以用语言在各代之间传递信息。由于长时间这种交流信息的积累，使得该物种的新成员能够有一个成熟的学习环境，在前人积累的经验中，快速成长起来。

　　These features obviously sound a lot like what we’re all born with, which makes perfect sense. However, within this very basic outline there’s plenty of room for variation. If aliens only need two eyes, a gripping appendage, and some kind of language in order to have caught up with humans, there’s really no telling what form their bodies have actually taken, especially on planets with chemical makeup far different from Earth.

　　很明显，上述这些功能听起来很像在说我们人类的生活习性和日常行为，这当然是无可厚非的。但是，在这个看似乎普通的表述中，却在客观上存在着千变万化的空间形态。如果外星人只需要两只眼睛，一个附着物和某种语言就能够和人类相提并论，那么真的无法想象他们实际是以什么样的状态存在的。特别是那些在化学结构上与地球差别比较大的行星，这些有着天壤之别的行星上的外星人和我们是不是也会有相似之处呢?我们不得而知!