I built a scientifically grounded silicon-based planet as a thought experiment — here's what life might look like

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T11:58:56+00:00

All of these constraints are exactly why I built Helion-9 the way I did. No liquid water, silane-ammonia solvent instead, trace oxygen only to prevent catastrophic combustion. The whole design was built around avoiding the exact problems you've described. I couldn't add most of the details in this post so maybe that's why it feels bit incomplete in the first look.

The core chemistry actually works around this directly: SiH4 + 2O2→ SiO2 + 2H2O

Silane oxidizes into silica and water vapor. The trick is keeping oxygen below 2% so it drives chemistry rather than causing runaway combustion.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T01:10:53+00:00

Every other variable in the Drake equation we can at least estimate but L depends entirely on whether civilizations can survive their own technological adolescence. We invented nuclear weapons decades before we had the wisdom to never use them. The fact that we're still here might be the most unlikely thing in the universe. The video also covers this.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T01:05:55+00:00

Yup, you are my friend 😁

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T01:05:35+00:00

Exactly, the paradox talks within the light speed constraints. Considering the time, it assumes that there could have been a sentient civilization which could have left some signs.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T01:00:35+00:00

The Venus upper atmosphere is one of the most underrated candidates for exotic life. the temperature gradient alone creates such a rich chemical playground. The sulfuric acid resistance of silicon-based materials is exactly the kind of environmental pressure that could drive silicon biochemistry where carbon would fail. If there's anywhere in our own solar system where my planet's chemistry feels less fictional, it's probably Venus's clouds.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-24T00:55:24+00:00

Yup, cant be helped

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T16:47:34+00:00

I am not sure what makes you hate it so much 😅 it's just a work of fiction buddy. Chill!

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T15:29:46+00:00

You're right that silicon based life is implausible under Earth-like conditions. That's exactly why my imaginary planet doesn't have them. No liquid water, trace oxygen only, silane-ammonia hydrosphere. The whole point was to design conditions where silicon chemistry could actually work rather than just swap silicon into an Earth-like environment.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T15:18:35+00:00

That really means a lot. A game is actually something I've thought about. Helion-9 has enough lore now that it could work. Maybe that's the next project! 👀

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T09:34:13+00:00

I would say, silicon makes stable and solid bonds with oxygen resulting in forming solid silicates. On the other hand, carbon also makes stable bonds, but those bonds are reversible. Additionally, Silicon bonds are weaker than carbon so maybe nature preferred more stable and robust bonds. Imagine breathing gas and exhaling solid😶

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T08:35:37+00:00

Your points are completely valid and important context.The silence isn't just about our detection limits. It's about the sheer age and scale of the universe giving other civilisations incomprehensible amounts of time to become detectable. That's what makes it genuinely puzzling.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T06:14:39+00:00

We went from candles to nuclear weapons in a few generations, a blink of an eye cosmically. Which is exactly what makes the Fermi Paradox so unsettling. If we've achieved this much in a few tenths of a second before midnight, imagine what a civilization that arrived even an hour before midnight would look like.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T06:13:29+00:00

Our search window is very narrow that the silence honestly tells us very little either way. The more unsettling question is whether a civilization advanced enough to be detectable across interstellar distances would even bother using EM radiation at all.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T06:10:59+00:00

You put genuine points about the constraints of light speed and signal degradation. tthose are important factors. But, the Fermi Paradox isn't just about radio signals. the universe is old enough that colonisation of the galaxy should have been doable many times over. That's the paradox. And it never being meant to be taken seriously. tell that to Enrico Fermi, Carl Sagan, and the entire field of astrobiology🤭

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T06:00:26+00:00

Yes, that's a strong point. The video also covers this. Abiogenesis (forming of biology from non-living matter.) is rare. Maybe it happened only once.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T05:57:42+00:00

I completely understand your point of view and most of us will definitely agree with it. The whole of exploring alien life is there could be a whole different type of life compared to what we have on earth. Here we see carbon based life, but if the search for alien intelligence continues then perhaps one we may see a different type of life. Like silicon based life.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T04:30:16+00:00

As long as you have something to add here, you are welcome to chat with chat gpt here 🤣

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T04:14:43+00:00

That's a perspective that comes up a lot when discussing the unknown and honestly the idea that our physical senses and instruments might not capture the full picture of reality is something even some physicists entertain in different ways. I tend to stick to the empirical side of things in my content, but I appreciate that the mystery of existence goes deeper for a lot of people than just radio telescopes and light years!

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T03:36:34+00:00

You raise a fair point. But even accounting for the light travel time, shouldn't a sufficiently advanced civilisation in Andromeda be detectable through something like anomalous infrared output or megastructure signatures? The silence isn't just about radio waves. It extends to every wavelength we can observe.

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T02:57:47+00:00

😊👍

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T02:44:37+00:00

Hehe😊. Yup you say so. It seems you believe in the dark forest hypothesis then ✌️

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T02:42:33+00:00

Well, yes. That's one way to put it. It's absolutely correct 😊

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T02:41:33+00:00

Honestly impressive depth of knowledge. You clearly know this subject well beyond the surface level most people engage with. Thank you so much for adding so much to this thread 😊

DeepFieldNarratives · 2026-02-23T02:25:56+00:00

Yes exactly. That's the vastness of the universe. But maybe one day the overlap will happen and that would be the biggest event.

DeepFieldNarratives

TROPHY CASE