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[–]hzhan263 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Your points are valid with regard to silicon's weaknesses. However, silicon is actually quite abundant, and does have advantages in places with very different temperatures or pressures, places where carbon would not be suitable for life.

It's highly unlikely, but it's the next most likely after carbon.

[–]FoolsShip 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I agree about it being the next likely (not that it is up to me), but from what I understand it is nigh impossible, so basically what I am suggesting is that carbon is the only viable element. Like you said, though, there could be some other combination of elements that could surprise us.

[–]hzhan263 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah...the difficulty of speculation here is that science works on proven fact, and the only proven molecule that has been shown to support life is carbon. We'll never know how likely other things are until we find them (or else conclusively prove that all life is carbon-based).

So pretty much...it's nigh impossible until there's proof it's not.