Must Life be Carbon-Based?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 February 2018
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Carbon is special, but is it necessarily the unique building block of life in the universe? Science fiction has long speculated on non-carbon biochemistries existing in the universe – notably in the work of authors such as Isaac Asimov as well as in the popular American TV series Star Trek, which once featured a rock-munching, silicon-based life form called ‘Horta’.
Marnie Chesterton explores the real science behind this intriguing idea and wonders whether in the current search for Earth-like planets elsewhere in the galaxy, we should be looking at completely different possible sets of rules when it comes to the hunt for life?
Producer Alex Mansfield Presenter Marnie Chesterton
(Photo: Saturn viewed from Titan moon. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.5 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.6 | Hello podcast listeners thank you for downloading crowd science from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:36.6 | Excellent choice. This edition of crowd science has it all. |
| 0:40.0 | Aliens, the origins of existence, and a salad dressing robot that looks for life in the lab. |
| 0:45.8 | Who knew chemistry could be so much fun? |
| 0:48.4 | If you're new to the podcast, this is the show that takes your burning science query and runs with it. |
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| 1:01.0 | But first, let's have a blast of 60s sci-fi. Hello, my name is Katie and I'm from Southampton in the UK and my question for |
| 1:19.1 | crowd sciences does life have to be carbon-based? Does life have to be carbon-based? Does it survive? |
| 1:24.0 | Find something? |
| 1:26.0 | Adjusting my tricover to register for silicon? |
| 1:29.0 | Hi, crowd science. |
| 1:30.0 | My name is Brandon, and I'm Astoria, Oregon in the United States. |
| 1:34.4 | My question for today's Crowd Science on the BBC World Service is, could life be anything |
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