What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth?

Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by dredmorbius on Tuesday July 09, 2019 @09:43PM (#20398511)

Methane is an organic (carbon-chain) molecule: CH4.

Titan would have a low-temperature carbon-based chemistry, but it would remain carbon-based if focused on methane.

Alternative hypothetical biochemistries usually focus on silicon.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Tuesday July 09, 2019 @10:03PM (#20398607)

True. But a methane based lifeform would be radically different than the carbon based lifeforms found on Earth, and would have emerged separately.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by dredmorbius on Tuesday July 09, 2019 @11:09PM (#20398875)

Oddly, that wasn't your claim.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Tuesday July 09, 2019 @11:21PM (#20398922)

It was. Read the OP's claims about Mars.

Mars alone does not provide the answer about whether or not life evolved independently in our solar system.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by hdfbdtbcdg on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @01:44AM (#20399413)

Can you elaborate?

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @02:31AM (#20399596)

They would not have cell membranes with phospholipids for one thing.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by hdfbdtbcdg on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @02:53AM (#20399721)

Why not? Methane is a hydrocarbon. We are made of hydrocarbons.

I just can't understand what the chemical difference is. Are these differences because of oxygen? I.e. life forms of C+H vs lifeforms of C+H+O?

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @12:57PM (#20403834)

Yes. Phospholipids are not viable outside of water; they would not be strong enough to perform well in liquid methane.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by hdfbdtbcdg on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @04:43PM (#20406323)

So the suggestion is carbon based biology at very reducing conditions?

What temperatures are we considering?

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Wednesday July 10, 2019 @08:37PM (#20408047)

Cold. Methane becomes liquid at -161.6C.

It is not my suggestion. It's suggested by scientists that Titan may host methane based life.

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by reirob on Thursday July 11, 2019 @09:18AM (#20411269)

Do you have any references handy?

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Re:What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth? by codesushi42 on Thursday July 11, 2019 @12:53PM (#20413143)

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