The article talks about how it's unlikely alien life would evolve with "four limbs and two eyes, a nose and a mouth..." but if it works for life on earth, why not elsewhere?

I mean, since living things evolve apparently toward more efficient and advanced forms, wouldn't some "universal" basics apply--stereo vision, for example, or opposable digits.

Might a measure of convergence not be expected? Surely environment would have a massive impact on evolutionary form, but on earth-like planets would there not be, perhaps, a tendency toward earth-like forms?

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I believe it's possible as well, just as there are unidentical twins. For us to actually find such a species as ourselvews elsewhere in the universe, living during our lifetime (transient) is rare, but not impossible.

Surely environment would have a massive impact on evolutionary form, but on earth-like planets would there not be, perhaps, a tendency toward earth-like forms?

Yes (imho). If and when another earth-like planet is found, don't expect it to be devoid of life. The type of life does depend on the planet's environment., i.e., star and state of it's solar system neighborhood, ETC.

Marcia