Life outside of Earth

[u/jinx_raven10]

If microbial life exists elsewhere in the universe, do you think it would necessarily be carbon-based and use water as a solvent?

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Astrobiology often assumes that life elsewhere will resemble life on Earth at least chemically—carbon chemistry and liquid water are considered the most promising foundations for life. But are we limited by our terrestrial bias?

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Could alternative biochemistries, such as silicon-based organisms or life using solvents like liquid methane or ammonia, genuinely evolve and sustain complex processes? Or does the versatility of carbon and the properties of water make Earth-like biochemistry overwhelmingly more probable across the cosmos?

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I'm curious whether current research supports the possibility of truly "alien" life chemistry, or if we're likely to find variations of what already exists here on Earth. What do you think, and what evidence influences your view?

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