Could There Be Non Carbon Based Life?

It would be impossible for life on earth to exist without carbon. Carbon is the main component of sugars, proteins, fats, DNA, muscle tissue, pretty much everything in your body. ... As the most stable thing for an atom to have is eight electrons, this means that each carbon can form four bonds with surrounding atoms.

Are there any non carbon-based lifeforms?

Non-carbon-based biochemistries. On Earth, all known living things have a carbon-based structure and system. ... He considered that there was only a remote possibility that non-carbon life forms could exist with genetic information systems capable of self-replication and the ability to evolve and adapt.

Can there be silicon based life?

So, the answer, at least for now, is no – although silicon can sometimes be used biologically as a sort of structural support (and there are some examples claiming silicon as an essential trace element) for carbon-based life - silicon-based life itself does not exist, as far as we know, because of the chemical and ...

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.