Sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ
Protocol Labs
Follow your curiosity.
Lead humanity forward.
"In all the universe,
there stands only one known tree of life."
"Does it stand alone?
Or is it part of a vast cosmic wilderness?"
"Imagine a museum containing every type of life in the universe."
"What strange things would such a museum hold?"
"What is possible under the laws of nature?"
LIFE
LIFE BEYOND
CHAPTER II
The Museum Of Alien Life
To have any hope-
of finding alien life,
we have to know what to look for.
But where do we begin?
How do we narrow down...
a seemingly infinite set-
of possibilities...
There's one thing we know for sure...
nature will have to play-
by her own rules.
No matter how strange-
alien life might be,
is going to be limited-
by the same physical...
and chemical laws that we are....
6
6 C
6 CO
6 CO₂
6 CO₂ +
6 CO₂ + 6
6 CO₂ + 6 H
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O +
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + L
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Li
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Lig
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Ligh
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light →
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆ +
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂
On top of this, 6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂
On top of this,
each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2 each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅O each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2 each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2C each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + E each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + En each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ʜʏᴅʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Ene each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Ener each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Energ each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Energy each alien environment will further limit-
⁴⁵⁸ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Energy what kinds of life forms can evolve there.
⁴⁵⁸ ɴɪʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Energy what kinds of life forms can evolve there.
⁴⁰⁵⁰ ɴɪʀᴏɢᴇɴ | C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH +2CO₂ + Energy what kinds of life forms can evolve there.
Despite these natural boundaries,
the possibilities are staggering to imagine.
Trillions of planets,
each a unique cauldron of chemicals,
undergoing their own complex evolution.
To guide our thinking,
this museum of alien life-
will be divided into two exhibits...
Life as we know it,
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ Life as we know it,
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ home to beings-
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ with bio-chemistries like ours.
EXHIBIT II Life As We Know Don't It ᴱˣᵒᵗᶦᶜ ᴮᶦᵒᶜʰᵉᵐᶦˢᵗʳᶦᵉˢ
And life as we don't know it,
EXHIBIT II Life As We Know Don't It ᴱˣᵒᵗᶦᶜ ᴮᶦᵒᶜʰᵉᵐᶦˢᵗʳᶦᵉˢ
home to beings-
EXHIBIT II Life As We Know Don't It ᴱˣᵒᵗᶦᶜ ᴮᶦᵒᶜʰᵉᵐᶦˢᵗʳᶦᵉˢ that challenge our concept of life itself.
Before we venture-
too far into the unknown,
we have to ask ourselves...
what if alien life-
is more like us...
than we think?
EXHIBIT I
Life As We Know It
ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ
If there's one feature-
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ that unites us...
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ with these other specimes in this museum,
EXHIBIT I Life As We Know It ᶜᵃʳᵇᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ
it's carbon...
Carbon
Carbon ⁴
S Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ
ᴀ Sᴜ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐ
C ᴀᴛ Sᴜʙ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒ
R | C 0 ᴀᴛᴏ Sᴜʙʟ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢ
R + | C 00 ᴀᴛᴏᴍ Sᴜʙʟɪ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ
R + 7: | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃ
R + 7: 9 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇ
R + 7: 9: | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘ
R + 7: 9: 5 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿ
R + 7: 9: 56 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈ
R + 7: 9: 56. | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃ
R + 7: 9: 56.2 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂. Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Period 2 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
Carbon is ubiquitous,
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Period 2 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
it's one o' tho most-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | P-block ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ it's one o' tho most-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | P-block ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ common elements in the universe,
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Group 14 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ common elements in the universe,
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Group 14 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
and is very good at forming-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | [He] 2s² 2p² ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ and is very good at forming-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | [He] 2s² 2p² ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ large stable molecules.
R + 7: 9: 56.25 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ large stable molecules.
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ large stable molecules.
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Period 2 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | P-block ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
Carbon has the rare ability-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | P-block ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ to form four way bounds-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Group 14 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ to form four way bounds-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | Group 14 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ with other elements...
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | [HE] 2s² 2p² ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ with other elements...
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | [HE] 2s² 2p² ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ
and to bind to itself-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ and to bind to itself-
R + 7: 9: 56.25 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ in long stable chains...
R + 7: 9: 56.25 | C 006 ᴀᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ₁₂.₀₁₁ Sᴜʙʟɪᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ: ³⁹¹⁵ ᴷ Carbon ⁴ᵗʰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵃᵇᵘⁿᵈᵃⁿᵗ ᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ in long stable chains...
enabling the formation...
of huge complex molecules.
This versatility makes carbon the center piece
in the moleculary machinery of life.
And the same carbon compounds
that we use have been-
found far from Earth,
clinging to meteorites
G
Gl
Gly
Glyc
Glyci
Glycin
Glycine
to floating in far off clouds...
Glycine
of cosmic dust.
Glycine
The building blocks of life...
drifting like snow through the universe.
And if alien life has selected other-
carbon compounds for the biochemistry,
they will have plenty to choose from.
Z DNA | B DNA
Scientists recently identified
over a million possible-
alternatives to DNA...
all carbon based.
If we ever discover-
other carbon based life forms,
we will be fundamentally related.
They will be our cosmic brother.
But would they look anything like us?
If they hail from Earth like planets,
we could share even more in common,
than just our biochemistry.
What would life be like-
on another planets,
if it is evolved?
Would it be like,
the world today here on Earth?
Or would be completely different?
There are those,
who argue that...
from the argument of convergent evolution,
if conditions on other planets are similar to here,
then we will see very similar life forms...
animal and plant-like organisms,
that look very familiar.
On Earth,
certain features like eyesight,
echo-location and flight
have evolved multiple times,
independently...
in different species.
This process of convergent evolution...
could extend to alien planets like Earth,
where creatures share similar environmental pressures.
It's no guarantee,
but there could be certain
universalities of life...
the greatest hits of evolution...
on repeat across the Universe.
Each feature would be a tune
to its local environment.
Dimly lit planets...
would produce huge eyes to suck in extra light,
like nocturnal mammals.
Some people have gone-
so far as to say-
that human type organism,
humanoids,
will occur on other planets.
The existence of other-
human-like organisms...
seems unlikely,
given the long...
convoluted chain of events-
that produced us.
But we can't rule it out.
If just one in every-
100 trillion Earth-like planets produced-
a human-like form...
there could still be...
thousands of creatures like us out there...
"But in reality, we are more likely to find something lower on the food chain."
Convergent evolution-
is also rampant in plant life...
and C4 photosynthesis-
has arisen independently...
over 40 times...
Would alien plants look like ours...
or something else entirely?
On Earth,
plants appear green
because they absorb
the other wavelenghts
in the Sun's light spectrum.
But stars come in many colors..
and alien plants would evolve-
different pigments...
to adapt to their sun's unique spectrum
Plants feeding off hotter stars could appear redder,
by absorbing their energy rich bluer light.
Around dim Red Dwarfs stars, vegetation could appear black,
adapted to absorb all visible wavelengths of light.
Earth itself may have once appeared purple,
due a pigment called retinal, that was an early precursor to chlorophyll.
Some think that retinal's molecular simplicity
could make it a more universal pigment.
If so, we may find that purple, is life's favorite color.
But the color of alien vegetation is more than just a curiosity,
it's chemical information that could be seen from light years away.
Earth plants leave a signature bump in the light reflected off our planet.
Finding a similar signal from another world could point the way
to alien vegetation.
Perhaps this will be our first glimpse at alien life;
a vibrant hue, cast by a distinct world.
But the biggest influence on life won't be it's host star; it will be it's home planet.
What happens, when you change the day - length of a planet?
What happens when you change the tilt of a planet?
What happens when you change the shape of the orbit?
What happens when you change the gravity of a planet?
Planets with long, elliptical orbits would see drastic seasons.
There could be worlds that appear dead for thousands of years,
then suddenly spring to life.
Most of the rocky planets discovered so far have been massive "Super Earths".
GJ 357 D Super Earth Distance: ~ 31 Light Years Mass: ~ 7× Earth Temperature: ~ -53°C
How would life evolve on these worlds?
In the seas, gravity may not matter much at all.
A high - gravity planet isn't high - gravity all over.
If you're in the sea, that's where all life starts, there's very nearly no gravity,
cause you're much the density as the stuff around you.
It's when the animals come out on land, that they feel the gravity.
High G - forces [vaguely, gravitational forces] would necessitate
large bones and muscle mass in complex life on land.
They would also demand a more robust circulatory system.
And plant life could be stunted by the energy cost of carrying nutrients under stronger gravity.
Low - gravity planets would more easily lose their atmospheres to space;
and lack a magnetic field to protect from cosmic rays.
But smaller worlds could be home to secret oases;
huge cave systems that provide hide-outs for life.
With steadier temperatures and protection from cosmic rays, life could thrive underground on planets with deadly surfaces.
The smallest possible habitable planets are estimated at 2.5% Earth's mass.
If surface life does evolve on these worlds,
it could be a sight to behold.
Plant life could grow to towering heights,
able to carry nutrients higher, at lesser gravity.
And without the need for bulky skeletons and muscle mass,
animals could have body types, that boggle the mind.
"Despite our eager imagination, large complex lifeforms are probably a cosmic rarity."
Here on Earth, it took three billion years for evolution
to produce complex plant and animal life.
Simple organisms are hardier, more adaptable
and more widespread.
The largest collection in the museum of alien life
would likely be the Hall of Microbes.
Yet finding even the tiniest alien microbe would be a profound discovery.
And bite-sized life could leave a big footprint.
Like stromatolites on Earth, layers of microbes could build up into huge
rock mounds over time.
Leaving behind eery structures.
And in big enough numbers some alien
bacteria could leave a distinct biosignature,
by exhaling gases that wouldn't coexist naturally:
like oxygen and methane.
There's ways to make oxygen without life.
There's ways to make methane without life.
But to have them in the atmosphere together?
Is almost impossible unless you've got biology making those gases at the surface.
And it would have a imprint on the planet's spectrum of colors.
Next generation space telescopes could find a signal like this,
on a world not far from home.
The closest Sun-like star with an Earth-like exoplanet in the
habitable zone is probably only 20 light years away
and can be seen with a naked eye.
But there may be an even easier target to aim for than tiny Earth-like planets.
The Brown Dwarfs: too small to be stars, to big to be planets.
Most Brown Dwarfs are too hot to support life as we know it.
But some are just cold enough.
WISE 0855-0714
Sub-Brown Dwarf
Distance: 7 Light Years
Mass: 3.10x Jupiter
Temperature: -50 - -13ºC
All the prime elements for life have been detected inside their atmospheres.
And within these clouds, some layers would provide ideal temperatures
and pressures for habitability.
There could be photosynthetic plankton in these skies,
kept aloft by churning upwinds.
And with enough force, these upwinds could even support larger,
more complex life.
Predadors.
There are over 25 billion Brown Dwarfs in our galaxy alone,
and their sizes will make them easier targets for study.
The first specimen we discover from the museum of life may not be from a planet at all.
This raises a crucial question:
what if we've been looking in all the wrong places?
What if nature has other ideas?
EXHIBIT II
LIFE AS WE DON'T KNOW IT
EXOTIC BIOCHEMISTRIES
Most of the Universe is too cold or too hot for liquid water and the
biochemistry that supports life as we know it.
But in case our biases are misleading,
we have to cast a wide net.
To search for life outside the habitable zone,
in places that seem wildly hostile to us.
Exotic environments will demand exotic biochemistries.
And while no element can match carbon's versatility,
one contender is a front runner.
At first glance, silicon seem similar to carbon.
It forms the same four-way bonds and is also abundant in the Universe.
But a closer look reveals that these two elements are false twins.
Silicon bonds are weaker and less prone to forming large complex molecules.
Despite this, they can withstand a wider range of temperatures,
opening up intriguing possibilities.
Life based on the silicon atom instead of carbon,
would be more resistant to the extreme cold.
Providing a whole new range of weird forms.
But silicon has a problem:
in the presence of oxygen, it binds into solid rock.
To avoid turning to stone, silicon beings
might be confined to oxygen free environments.
Like Saturn's frigid moon, Titan.
TITAN Saturnian Moon Distance: 1,2 Million KM Mass: .023X Earth Temperature: -129ºC
Its vast lakes of liquid methane and ethane could be an ideal medium
for silicon-based life,
or other radical biochemistries.
Without ample sunlight, beings on worlds
like Titan, would likely be chemosynthetic.
Deriving their energy by breaking down rocks.
Such life forms could have ultra slow
metabolisms and life cycles measured in millions of years.
And frozen worlds aren't the only possible harbor for exotic life.
CoRoT-7B
Super Earth
Distance: ~520 Light Years
Mass: -8x Earth
Temperature: 1026-1526ºC
In high temperatures, typically rigid silicon oxygen bonds become more
flexible and reactive.
Triggering more dynamic chemistry.
This has led to a truly bizarre proposal:
silicon-based life forms that live inside molten silicate rock.
In theory, these forms could even exist
deep beneath the Earth inside magma chambers
as part of a shadow biosphere.
If so, then the aliens are right under our noses.
Other shadow biospheres have been proposed:
forms of life living alongside us that we don't even know are here.
Including tiny RNA-based life, small
enough to go undetected by existing instruments.
Clouds of dust and empty space might seem like the last place you'd expect
to find anything living.
But when cosmic dust makes contact with plasma,
a type of ionized gas,
something strange happens.
In simulated conditions, dust particles,
have been seen spontaneously self-organizing
into helical structures that resemble DNA.
These plasma crystals even begin to exhibit life-like behavior:
replicating, evolving into more stable forms and passing on information.
Could these crystals be considered alive?
To some researchers, they meet all the criteria to qualify as inorganic life forms.
So far, we have only ever seen them in computer simulations.
But some speculate we could find them among the ice particles in the rings of Uranus.
Plasma is the most common state of matter in the Universe.
If complex evolving plasma crystals really exist
and if they can be considered life,
they could be its most common form.
Or perhaps life is lurking in the polar opposite environment:
inside the hearts of dead stars.
When massive suns explode, some collapase into
ultra dense cores called neutron stars.
PSR B1509-58 Neutron Star Distante: 17,000 Light Years Spin Rate: ~7/second
Hulking masses of atomic nuclei crammed together like sardines.
Conditions on the surface are mind-boggling:
gravity is a hundred billion times stronger than Earth's.
But beneath their iron nuclei crust lies something strange:
a hot dense sea of neutrons and subatomic particles.
Stripped of their electron shells, these
nuclei would obey entirely different laws of chemistry,
based not on the electromagnetic force,
but the strong nuclear force,
which binds nuclei together.
In theory, these particles could link-up
to form larger macronuclei, which could then
combine into even bigger super nuclei.
If so, then this bewildering environment
would mimic the basic conditions for life.
Heavy nucleon molecules floating in a complex particle ocean.
Some scientists have proposed the unimaginable:
exotic life forms drifting through the strange particle sea,
living, evolving and dying on incomprehensibly fast time scales.
There's probably no chance of ever detecting such a strange breed of life.
But there may be hope for finding an even more exotic form.
Life is not something that has to evolve naturally.
It can be designed.
And once intelligence is introduced into the evolutionary process,
a Pandora's Box is opened.
Free from typical biological limitations, synthetic and machine - based life could be the most successful of all.
It could thrive almost anywhere, including the vaccum of space,
opening up vast frontiers unavailable to biological organisms.
And compared to the glacial pace of natural selection, technical evolution
allows exponentially faster growth, adaptability and resilience.
By some estimates, autonomous, self - replicating machines could colonize
an entire galaxy in as little as a million years.
We can't predict how hyper - intelligent life would organise itself,
but in theory, there could be convergent evolution at play.
The electrical properties of Silicon might make it a universal basis for machine intelligence,
a redemption for its biological shortcomings.
With all its potential advantages,
With all its potential advantages, machine life may even be a universal endpoint :
With all its potential advantages, machine life may even be a universal endpoint: the apex of evolutionary process.
As the universe ages, perhaps machine intelligence would come to dominate,
and naturally occurring biological life will be viewed as a quaint starting point.
Perhaps, we ourselves will lead this transition,
and the great human experiment would be merely a first link in a sprawling intergalactic chain of life.
In the end, we are still the only beings we know of in the museum of alien life.
To truly know ourselves, we will have to know :
To truly know ourselves, we will have to know: are we the only ones?
Loren Eisley has said, that one does not meet oneself until
one catches the reflection from an eye other than human.
One day that eye may be that of an intelligent alien.
And the sooner we eschew our narrow view of evolution,
the sooner we can truly explore our ultimate origins and destinations.
We have seen what could be out there.
And we know how we might find it.
There is only one thing left to do.
Go looking.
HANDCRAFTED BY MELODYSHEEP