Quote:
Originally Posted by tbentley
Just because all life on earth is carbon based does that mean that it's the same everywhere else? Is this the ultimate form of racial prejudice? Hello to anyone non-carbon based out there, I'm fighting for your rights brother (or sister or whatever.)  |
Well... Carbon-based molecules can form large and complicated structures.. and so can silicon. But you have to have the medium in which large molecules can "operate" and in carbon-based chemistry this is water. Silicon molecules are not soluble in water in general .. so you must have something else. I think that there are many papers discussing those issues and so far it seems only carbon-based chemistry, at temperatures between 0C and 50-60C can form large and stable compounds that can interact between themselves at acceptable rate.. to form life as we know it.
The future will tell, possibly otherwise.. but right now other chemistries are not likely.