Aliens?

[Snaggle_Tongue]

Yes. When we find them, we'd probably kill them off.
Let them find us and kill us instead

[RAGNAROCK]

I think someones seen Alien,Starship Troopers or even Independance day far to many times everyone knows that when aliens invade they will use us as a slave race however ille be dead by then so unlucky future me

[Snaggle_Tongue]

Alien, Aliens, Aliens 3 and Aliens 4 own you.

[RAGNAROCK]

well nah nah ive got my fave aliens 2 in the dvd i got the box set ages ago 2nd fave is resurection i LOVE ALIEN

[Son of Sephiroth]

I was pondering this is in a chemistry lesson, and I have come to the conclusion that there are three things which life must have/be.

1. All creatures must be carbon based.
2. All creatures need water
3. All must have a planet arond the same size as ours. (give or take about a quater)

why you say?

1. Carbon is required for DNA. No matter how many people tell you it can be done using silicon, it simply doesn't work. You cannot make the sugar phosphate group using silicon. the atom is too big. Also, carbon is FAR more reactive than silicon even though they belong to the same element group. Because of i's greater reactivity it can form all the hundreds of compounds which are needed for food, for building and for well, everything.

2. Water is so damn crucial. It's the only hydrogen covalent compound capable of forming hydrogen bods that exists as liquid at room temperature. without those precious hydrogen bonds, no DNA. Also, the majority of Reactions happen faster in water due to it's LARGE dipole, SO I don't think any creature wouldn't use it.

3. Simple physics. Too big, you get suished. The most you could have would be a Very large VERY flat, worm. Too small, there isn't enough atmosphere and everyone dies.

what do you think?

[Kain Highwind]

Originally Posted by Son of Sephiroth

I was pondering this is in a chemistry lesson, and I have come to the conclusion that there are three things which life must have/be.

1. All creatures must be carbon based.
2. All creatures need water
3. All must have a planet arond the same size as ours. (give or take about a quater)

1. All creatures that we know of must be carbon based.
2. All creatures that we know of need water

The third isn't really a statement about life, but more about what the creatures would need to look like.

3. All must have a planet arond the same size as ours. (give or take about a quater)


As for your reasoning:

1) Do you know why it can't be done with silicon? Do you know for sure that it can't? What's your reasoning for thinking all creatures must be constructed from carbon based DNA?

2) This point presupposes the first point.

3) It isn't simple physics by any stretch of the imagination, it's very complex. Even so, it's still only theoretical, the basis of which must be provable, so at most, it's an estimation.

An estimation made from the study of substances that exist on our earth, that may or may not be the only substances around.



It's very difficult to make any kind of accurate guesses about this sort of thing, when we are discussing things that are beyond our scope.

We just don't know enough, and, no offense SOS, I doubt a sixteen year old knows anymore than the experts.

[Son of Sephiroth]

the experts say themselves that most life that they will find will use DNA (as it is the only molecue that can replicate) and that they need water as it is just too invaluable for any creature to miss. Another reason Silicon can't be sued is because it is less reactive than Carbon so it' is more unstable and easier to break up into less useful compounds. Ok I admit I'm maybe being a bit vague, but any creature that is multicellular will need these things.

[Kain Highwind]

Any creature that we know of.

Beat around it if you may, but that is what you're basing your statements upon, right?

[User Name]

Funny, somewhere up there there is a planet like ours with creatures debating this very subject : whether or not we are made of carbon compounds and if we drink water.

[RAGNAROCK]

There have already been discoveries of very minute silicon based life in germany they were found in caves so thats the carbon base out the window

this is probably true if physiolgy is similar to ours but other alien species might produce there own unique fluid or other natural substance they need to survive

planet size is irrlevant life if it is forming or formed will have evolved to its natural envoirment and the conditions for life are not neccesarly universal