Carbon Bias

Without question, we are prejudiced toward carbon-based life and for good reason as ..."Carbon is great molecular glue—there’s no doubt about it. Just add water and you’ve got life. Well, maybe it’s not quite that simple, but carbon and water do seem to be a winning combo, at least on planet Earth. That may be why we’ve been limiting ourselves in our search for . The carbon/water combo has worked so well for our own conditions, that we simply can’t imagine anything else supporting life."

But there are alternatives to this design set as "Various elements become more stable and capable of forming complex molecules when under strange (from a human perspective) thermal and atmospheric conditions. For example, silicone-based chemicals would be more stable than equivalent hydrocarbons in a sulphuric-acid-rich setting, which has been noted in some extraterrestrial environments."

To that end, Titan could be a source of life as researchers liken Titan to a tropical earth when Titan's chemical profile is taken into account as seen in an earlier BRT post titled Sunbathing on Titan and in two others; Life Finds a Way and Possibilities, Possibilities.

To get in-depth info on alternative biochemistry, click here.

Maybe we should use Spore to broaden our horizons. :)