Hi everyone! First time poster!
I am an undergraduate student studying molecular biology. I am certain you have all heard NASA's recent announcement wherein they discovered lifeforms which can utilize arsenic in lieu of phosphorous as a fundamental component of their genome.
I've always wondered what possible elements life systems can consist of, and when I say life systems, I don't just mean the ones that exist on earth, but POTENTIAL life systems anywhere in the cosmos.
I have never felt that life is limited to the compounds of us earth-based creatures, and that somewhere out there, elsewhere in the universe, are creatures with a TOTALLY UNIQUE biochemistry which looks nothing like the earth-based lifeforms we are familiar with.
NASA has proven that life is not limited to the compounds that we're familiar with. What other possible combinations of elements could be involved in life systems???