User blog comment:Krayfish/Hypothetical biochemistries/@comment-2001921-20120923091816/@comment-2001921-20120923145458

Got my vote through. It seems that another person selecting that option allowed me to :r

As for whether we will discover that life could arise in conditions on other worlds- we can simulate all the conditions you might find on an exoplanet except gravity, which isn't so important unless it's a compact star or something. And we have done, and we've done all sorts of experiments. We've synthesised every single silicon- and germanium-based molecule there is (other than those bonding to noble gases, for obvious reasons) under a whole range of conditions, and seen nothing to suggest we could make a lifeform of it.

Life is wonderfully complex. To simplify it massively, we need: catalysts (enzmes) to permit reactions to sustain the organism and allow it to grow; an information storage molecule (DNA and RNA) to allow adaptation, evolution, and protein synthesis; molecules to be respired for energy; a cell membrane to protect the inner cell from the environment while allowing needed molecules in; a reaction, transport, and solvent medium (water, which is one of the best molecules ever); and a load of ions for many purposes. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that.

It's a little demeaning to how great it really is to suggest that you can do the same thing with any old element or chemical.