ALIENS may be much closer to humans than we care to think, according to new research from Oxford University.

A team of researchers applying evolutionary theory to support theories about alien life - showing that foreign life forms may go through a contest of natural selection, much like life on earth.

The study, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, also makes specific predictions about the biological make-up of complex aliens, and offers a degree of insight as to what they might look like.

The researchers have even produced some drawings revealing what alien lifeforms may look like.