The possibility of non-water solvents for life

  • While all known life uses water as the solvent, other solvents are hypothetically possible.
  • The biochemistries associated with such hypothetical life forms would be radically different from that of Earth-based life, yet the possibility exists.
  • Many substances other than water (or mixed with water) could (very) hypothetically serve as a solvent for life (generally at temperatures and pressures at which they are liquid) including ammonia, methane, other hydrocarbons, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitrogen or supercritical hydrogen.
  • Resources include:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothetical_types_of_biochemistry
Astrobio.Pic.7
Our blue planet is awash in liquid water, the only known solvent for life … but what lies in non- or partially-water surface and subsurface liquids of other celestial bodies, such as moons in the Solar System?

© 2015 Fosdick EDS  ☾><(((°>

 

Leave a Reply