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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[-] Soup@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago

“Almost all” means that if you pull six-legged animals names outnof a hat you’re nearly guaranteed to find an insect. Doesn’t mean you can’t pull the non-insect first try, and doesn’t mean that centaurs must be insects.

[-] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

This bias is to biology only found in our experience. What if theres an alien physiology that ruins this argument.

[-] _stranger_@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

I'd argue centaur world is its own tree of life until proof exists that earth life and centaur world life had a common ancestor.

[-] Soup@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago
[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

No alien species counts as an animal taxinomically. A similar extraterrestrial ecosystem would likely result in reclassifications to add planet of greatest ancestral origin. Life seeders would make taxonomy even harder.

[-] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

They'd still be an arthropod even if they weren't a species of insect. So I guess the question is whether all six-legged arthropods have ovipositors. Sounds likely.

this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2025
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