Hypothetical types of biochemistry are forms of biochemistry speculated to be scientifically viable but not proven to exist at this time. While the kinds of living beings we know on Earth commonly use carbon for basic structural and metabolic functions, water as a solvent and DNA or RNA to define and control their form, it may be possible that undiscovered life-forms could exist that differ radically in their basic structures and biochemistry from that known to science.
The possibility of extraterrestrial life being based on these "alternative" biochemistries is a common subject in science fiction, but is also discussed in a non-fiction scientific context.
Read more about Hypothetical Types Of Biochemistry: Scientists Who Have Considered This Topic, Alternative-chirality Biomolecules, Non-carbon-based Biochemistries, Carbon-based Alternatives To Hydrocarbons, Chlorine As An Alternative To Oxygen, Arsenic As An Alternative To Phosphorus, Selenium or Tellurium As An Alternative To Sulfur, Non-water Solvents, Usage in Fiction
Famous quotes containing the word types:
“The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences. We must widen the range of topics and goals, the types of situations we offer and their degree of structure, the kinds and combinations of resources and materials, and the possible interactions with things, peers, and adults.”
—Loris Malaguzzi (1920–1994)