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What humans would look like if we evolved on other planets, according to AI

David Benjamin
Out of the eight planets in the Solar System, Earth is the only one that has life on it. How life began is still up for debate, with the most commonly accepted theory – other than God – is life starting in a hot spring. Earth sits in something known as the Goldilocks Zone, where it is just far enough from the Sun not to be uninhabitably hot, but not too far to be frozen – so liquid water can remain on the surface. But, hypothetically, what if life did start on one of the other planets? Metro asked Midjourney AI and ChatGPT to conjure up some images of what humans would look like if it could form on the other planets – and this is what is came up with (Picture: Midjourney / Getty)

Mercury

According to ChatGPT, if life formed on Mercury, our skin would have to adapt with it. So Midjourney AI has pictured us with a metallic shell looking skin that would allow heat to disperse. Ideal really, since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. However, since we have metallic skin, there is no body hair to keep us warm in the freezing nights where there is no atmosphere to trap heat. And so our skin would have to shift hue to adapt to the temperature. As the temperature is so extreme, ChatGPT explains that humans would have a compact, muscular frame to minimise exposure, as well as dark, radiation-shielded eyes with reflective irises, and deep-set eyes and narrow pupils for solar protection. We would also have small nostrils and mouth openings to prevent heat and radiation entry (Picture: Midjourney)

Venus

Looking like something out of Terminator, evolving on Venus would have us looking shiny. ChatGPT says skin would have to be thick and glossy to be heat resistant, and smooth for the high atmospheric pressure the planet has. Our limbs would be short and our body stocky to conserve heat, but since Venus is sulphuric, we would have thick eyelids or protective membranes against acid droplets and iridescent pigmentation from sulphur and radiation exposure. To avoid inhaling acidic air, we would have small nostrils and a minimal mouth, with reflective eyes to handle constant orange glare and recessed or covered ears to prevent acid damage (Picture: Midjourney)

Mars

Humans on Mars may one day be a possibility but no matter what, we did not evolve there. So what would it look like if we did? Since Mars is a rocky planet like Mercury and Venus, we would look pretty similar but ChatGPT has highlighted some changes. For example, instead of smooth shiny skin, we would have thick, copper-toned skin for UV protection and denser body hair or fine insulating fur for warmth. Our lung capacity would be larger – fitting into our now massive chests – and we would have slightly larger eyes for dim, reddish light with broader pupils and reddish-gold irises for low-light vision. We’d be smaller than we are now, as we would have a compact body shape to conserve heat but longer limbs or broader feet for balance in low gravity with sturdy joints and thicker lips, eyelids, and smaller nostrils to retain moisture (Picture: Midjourney)

Jupiter

Human adapted to Jupiter
Now here is where things get a little freaky. Looking like a bug, there is a reason why ChatGPT has suggested that we would look like this. It says that we will need a broad, balloon-like body adapted to float in dense gas layers since Jupiter is the largest of the gas planets. We would also need rubbery, pressure-resistant skin that is translucent or opalescent with shifting colours and large, multi-lensed or dark eyes for dim light. So, it turns out that human evolution on Jupiter would leave us looking nothing like the humans we know today. And if you want to know why we have bug-like limbs, ChatGPT says its for steering through gas currents (Picture: Midjourney)

Saturn

Human adapted to Saturn
Human evolution on Saturn looks like something out of a horror film – but let’s break down why humans would look so monstrous. ChatGPT says that humans would need lighter, elongated forms to float in gentler winds, with wide fin-like sails or membranes for movement and balance. We would have reduced facial features to prevent gas intake and long, ribbon-like limbs for elegant gliding, with hairlike sensory filaments to detect air currents. The eyes would be large and luminous, as a way to adapt to the low light, and our skin would be smooth and layered to protect against the pressure and cold. Since Saturn is far from the Sun, ChatGPT suggests we will have iridescent patches that shimmer like Saturn’s rings and bioluminescent lines or rings along the body for visibility (Picture: Midjourney)

Uranus

Even though on first look this is an extremely terrifying being, it’s more human in form than many other examples. Uranus is extremely cold and dark, and an ice giant, so it has no true surface – just swirling fluids. ChatGPT has suggested that any being on this planet would have pale blue or turquoise-tinted translucent skin blending with the sky and smooth, glassy texture resistant to methane frost. For the high speed winds, we would have a slender, aerodynamic body but the outer layer would be thin and trap heat. Our eyes would be large and glowing since there is not a lot of light, and we would have small or sealed nostrils and mouths to conserve heat. Why do we look so ghostly? The fin-like limbs or webbing is for gliding through dense gas and our skin would refract light like frosted glass. Not sure what’s happening with the teeth though (Picture: Midjourney)

Neptune 

Human adapted to Neptune
Eventually, if we go far enough into the Solar System, we turn into fish. And a very pretty fish at that. ChatGPT says humans would have deep blue or indigo skin blending with stormy clouds, but the skin would be smooth and rubbery to resist the cold and the pressure of the planet. Since Neptune is a windy planet, our bodies would be built to be streamlined. In terms of features, we would have large, faintly glowing eyes for near-darkness, as well as a small mouth and recessed nose. The fins would help us in steering through the air and instead of speaking we would have bioluminescent streaks or pulse patterns for communication. Glug glug (Picture: Midjourney)

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