Planets capable of hosting complex life will have a wide range of bizarre species. The biochemical mechanisms might be different--perhaps something other than DNA, Chromosomes, dual sexual reproduction, and family lineage. But the laws of physics and natural selection will be the same. So, we expect a few parallels to life on Earth.
Animals (or animal analogs) will move by flying or swimming through fluids and using legs to traverse rugged surfaces. Bilateral symmetry will help them navigate with a well-defined forward direction. Predation. Smell, sight, and hearing are likely to evolve. Communication, cooperation, and sociability.
The author waxes about language. Will the specific conditions that led cerebral primates to engineer a hypersocial civilization occur elsewhere? Hard to say. Are designed organisms out there? Possibly there are AI robots that automatically upgrade hardware and software to rapidly accelerate their evolution.