Are planets with oceans common in the galaxy? It's likely, NASA scientists find

Re:Are planets with oceans common in the galaxy? It's likely... by NortySpock on Friday June 19, 2020 @12:17PM (#23575910)

I think there will certainly be differences in their DNA or RNA equivalents, but water will still be a nice solvent at room temperature and carbon still likes to form complex bonds and complex molecules at those same temperatures.

Thus at those temperatures and pressures as are found on earth, we can most likely expect to find water and carbon based life.

Will they have a carbon cycle? Certainly. Will it be exactly the same Krebs cycle, down to the exact same molecules? Maybe not.

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Re:Are planets with oceans common in the galaxy? It's likely... by caymanjim on Friday June 19, 2020 @01:01PM (#23576381)

Another critical property of water is that its solid form (ice) is less dense than its liquid form. This means that large bodies of water freeze on top and seal in a warmer liquid layer below. If not for this, then all lakes and even oceans would freeze solid. Most of the planet's water would be frozen solid year-round. Even during the "Snowball Earth" eras in our ancient past, only the surface of the Earth was frozen; there was still liquid ocean below. Very few compounds have this property of lower density when frozen.

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