Carbon-based life, silicon-based life, intelligent AI life; how many possible life forms are there?

In a broad sense, change and movement are life; in a narrow sense, life refers to organic organisms.

Although in a broad sense everything is alive, the universe is also a certain type of life, and the universe is constantly changing and developing. But because human beings are the dust of cosmic space, for a moment in time, humans cannot understand and perceive this type of life in the universe.

Let's open our brains together and explore the possible life forms in the universe.

carbon-based life.

All living things on the earth are carbon-based, including human beings based on carbon and water; carbon-based living things on the earth mainly use oxygen and water as energy sources.

Because proteins that make up carbon-based organisms, such as purines and pyrimidines, which are genetic material, are hydrocarbon derivatives, they are called carbon-based organisms.

(Titan's huge methane ocean and atmosphere)

Carbon-based life on other planets: In theory, as long as life can interact with the external environment and obtain energy, it can complete life forms; carbon-based life using methane as a source of energy is likely to exist in Titan, Titan has Atmosphere and methane ocean.

If carbon life is discovered in Titan in the future, the carbon-based life in the universe will be starry.

(Carbon and silicon)

Second, silicon-based life.

In the periodic table, silicon is just below carbon, so it has many basic properties similar to carbon.

The depths of a planet may find life based on silicates in a semi-melted state, and the oxidation of iron provides them with energy.


Silicon-based animals are likely to look like moving crystals.

Some science fiction writers speculate that under the surface of some cold giant gaseous planets, there may be an ocean of ammonia, and the ocean is full of ammonia-based life forms.


Intelligent AI life.

Intelligent AI life can be regarded as a strong evolution of carbon-based life; future artificial intelligence life will adapt to the environment with stronger energy, faster thinking, and may obtain eternal life.


Neutron star life.

In 1973, astronomer Frank Drake proposed the idea of ​​neutron star life: strong interaction forces can combine neutrons into clusters to form atomic nuclei. Neutrons can be exchanged between multiple atomic nuclei, and this neutron exchange can be used as the basis for chemical reactions (like the electron exchange in chemical reactions on Earth). With the support of this new chemical reaction mechanism, multiple atomic nuclei can form complex molecular structures, and even complex molecules sufficient for life activities.