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Main Rubber Forehead Aliens Discussion
Someone added a second paragraph about convergent evolution. It seems to be a bit of a justifying edit for the whole trope and the paragraph grates with the rest of the page. Removing it wouldn't affect the rest of the entry. Also, as a biology major I can tell you that convergent evolution would not result in aliens looking like people with rubber foreheads, not even if all the aliens were humanoid.
Cut it. Posting it here for future references.
Oddly, though the idea turns up now and then in written SF, TV shows and movies never suggest convergent evolution
(the principle that different species evolving in similar ecological niches will end up rather similar to each other, as with killer whales and sharks) as a reason why intelligent species tend to share the "humanoid" body structure. It has been compared to how water droplets will attempt to form into the most efficient shape, a sphere, in any environment. It is possible that the humanoid form has enough versatility that only minor variations would be needed to meet environmental demands specific to other planets.
(the principle that different species evolving in similar ecological niches will end up rather similar to each other, as with killer whales and sharks) as a reason why intelligent species tend to share the "humanoid" body structure. It has been compared to how water droplets will attempt to form into the most efficient shape, a sphere, in any environment. It is possible that the humanoid form has enough versatility that only minor variations would be needed to meet environmental demands specific to other planets.