CrowdScience

Must Life be Carbon-Based?


Listen Later

Carbon is special, but is it necessarily the unique building block of life in the universe? Science fiction has long speculated on non-carbon biochemistries existing in the universe – notably in the work of authors such as Isaac Asimov as well as in the popular American TV series Star Trek, which once featured a rock-munching, silicon-based life form called ‘Horta’.
Marnie Chesterton explores the real science behind this intriguing idea and wonders whether in the current search for Earth-like planets elsewhere in the galaxy, we should be looking at completely different possible sets of rules when it comes to the hunt for life?
Producer Alex Mansfield
Presenter Marnie Chesterton
(Photo: Saturn viewed from Titan moon. Credit: Getty Images)
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

CrowdScienceBy BBC World Service

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

4 ratings


More shows like CrowdScience

View all
The Science Show by ABC listen

The Science Show

120 Listeners

All In The Mind by ABC listen

All In The Mind

748 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,837 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,683 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

415 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,127 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

895 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

276 Listeners

Future Tense by ABC listen

Future Tense

72 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,940 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

401 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

756 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

ABC News Daily by ABC

ABC News Daily

125 Listeners

The Intelligence from The Economist by The Economist

The Intelligence from The Economist

2,517 Listeners