Non-Carbon Based Life

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  • Опубліковано 15 кві 2020
  • Science Fiction has long contemplated the idea that alien life not based on carbon chemistry such as silicon might exist on distant and strange worlds, or might be made to exist advanced biological engineering. What would such life be like?
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    Credits:
    Alien Civilizations: Non-Carbon Based Life
    Episode 234, Season 6 E16
    Written by:
    Isaac Arthur
    Jerry Guern
    Editors:
    Darius Said
    Keith Blockus
    Cover Art:
    Jakub Grygier www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier
    Graphics by:
    Jeremy Jozwik www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_...
    Katie Byrne
    Kristijan Tavcar www.miragedereve.com
    Music:
    Martin Rezny, "Lifelight" / martin-re-n-1
    Aerium, "Waters of Atlantis" / @officialaerium
    AJ Prasad of Dark Future, "Cold Shadow" • Dark Future - Staring ...
    Paradox Interactive, "Distant Nebula" www.paradoxplaza.com
    Lombus, "Goldilocks Analemma" lombus.bandcamp.com
    Ross Bugden, "City Lights" / @rossbugden
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 3,5 тис.

  • @shleed
    @shleed 4 роки тому +4976

    "Boron based life forms are very unlikely"
    The boron based aliens monitoring our communication:
    :[

    • @dcfromthev
      @dcfromthev 4 роки тому +58

      @Brian Hensley Bingo, my thoughts exactly. Honestly, we are surely wasting our time even hypothesizing about the likelihood of life being made of anything beyond Silicon. I'm pretty comfortable saying that with near certainty.

    • @johnjonjhonjonathanjohnson3559
      @johnjonjhonjonathanjohnson3559 4 роки тому +12

      not much to learn from us

    • @amfvideos6810
      @amfvideos6810 4 роки тому +18

      @Brian Hensley I don't helium is really reactive enough for that, but it is an interesting concept.

    • @Felixkeeg
      @Felixkeeg 4 роки тому +32

      I know one boron-based lifeform, actually. He's been my professor in inorganic chemistry.

    • @SockTaters
      @SockTaters 4 роки тому +12

      The boron based aliens monitoring our communications:
      9#~

  • @not2tees
    @not2tees 4 роки тому +6898

    I wonder if the silicon-based intelligent species have a Carbon Valley where they develop their computers?

    • @miaobinzhang
      @miaobinzhang 4 роки тому +327

      We’re the Earthnet AI that Terminated the silicon lifeforms ...

    • @glyrr
      @glyrr 4 роки тому +94

      No. They located it on a active fault line and it was completely destroyed in the Great Quake.

    • @DctrBread
      @DctrBread 4 роки тому +135

      possibly, i heard carbon crystals become decent semiconductors at extreme temperatures.

    • @livedandletdie
      @livedandletdie 4 роки тому +110

      @@DctrBread Carbon is an exceptional conductor of both heat and electric current, doesn't even need to be hot... It's the best conductor of electricity... and if you heated it up enough it would lose it's conductivity, so you could make it a semi-conductor by heating it up... And seeing as carbon has extremely high melting temperatures, it would be possible to do it in a safe way, as long as it's in an oxygen free environment, after all, carbon sequesters oxygen better than anything else and it's not always a good property... it's one of the reasons for why diamonds don't last forever. Specially in hot environments, and near superheated gas, aka fire.

    • @llongone2
      @llongone2 4 роки тому +108

      Yes, their "meat computers"..."discarded" after their living cells start to die. If we ever encounter them, both sides will have a lot of explaining to do.

  • @salaciousBastard
    @salaciousBastard 3 роки тому +638

    Issac Arthur: "Boron based lifeforms are highly unlikely."
    Borane Alien: "Carbon based lifeforms are woefully improbable."

    • @minnowpanda304
      @minnowpanda304 3 роки тому +15

      If i had a sense of humor regarding the mathematics of how life generates id give a titter

    • @themushroom2130
      @themushroom2130 3 роки тому +68

      “Sir we have found a carbon based life form. He has a record of insulting us and our great race!”

    • @SupersuMC
      @SupersuMC Рік тому +18

      @@themushroom2130 "This means war!"

    • @johndawson6057
      @johndawson6057 Рік тому +15

      @@SupersuMC to the meatships!!!

    • @danolantern6030
      @danolantern6030 Рік тому +5

      @@davidhand9721 This lower-class meatship dares insult upon our superior chemistry!
      To the crusher with you!

  • @Demonslayer-64
    @Demonslayer-64 3 роки тому +1849

    In a parallel universe:
    "Non-Silicon based life"

    • @RickestRick
      @RickestRick 3 роки тому +11

      🤯🤯🤯

    • @holamilambo8228
      @holamilambo8228 3 роки тому +8

      I don’t think it would be called silicon in a parallel universe but who knows

    • @Demonslayer-64
      @Demonslayer-64 3 роки тому +57

      @@holamilambo8228 everything is possible in a parallel universe, that's the whole point

    • @Suchti2509
      @Suchti2509 3 роки тому +8

      U mean other Star System?

    • @holamilambo8228
      @holamilambo8228 3 роки тому

      Demonslayer64 U rite

  • @mokobaby6181
    @mokobaby6181 4 роки тому +3303

    This dude's accent, lisp , or speech impediment is bloody great. U can tell He has practiced annunciating words too minimise the issue. Dude has my respect

    • @893263007
      @893263007 4 роки тому +84

      That's what I was thinking. For some reason I respect him for it.

    • @sleazysloth8755
      @sleazysloth8755 4 роки тому +50

      Reminds me of that character from the big bang theory. Can't remember his name though.

    • @LordViktor299
      @LordViktor299 4 роки тому +26

      @@sleazysloth8755 Kripky? you mean

    • @rhysbrown4982
      @rhysbrown4982 4 роки тому +8

      i was thinking the exact same

    • @luiscorralc
      @luiscorralc 4 роки тому +7

      moko baby i think he is deaf

  • @casanovavalentine666
    @casanovavalentine666 3 роки тому +2636

    I had this same exact Speech Impediment as this man, i took speech therapy for a long time to change it.... this really brings me back.

    • @meomeo-ue7qd
      @meomeo-ue7qd 3 роки тому +237

      I actually like the way he speaks
      It is a odd and interesting way
      And 1 of my dnd players has this and voices 1 of our npcs in our game ... Its the added touch that makes the npc have another layer and draws him further into the game

    • @tomimated1638
      @tomimated1638 3 роки тому +266

      I thought it was just a british accent

    • @jeddy936
      @jeddy936 3 роки тому +96

      He reminds me of Kripke from the Big Bang theory

    • @LS-pv4dh
      @LS-pv4dh 3 роки тому +79

      I know it's an impediment but it sounds cool. Makes the word flow seamless like water or fluid. But maybe u shouldn't listen to what I be saying....I still think the kids from Shriners are the x men. Seriously.

    • @drakegunter9081
      @drakegunter9081 3 роки тому +52

      Love the way you talk man. My mom talked to same way when she was younger. I hate that people view this way of speaking incorrect. Who says it's wrong? Why does their opinion matter more than yours. Or mine. Or someone else. Keep it up bro.

  • @Winglessdargon
    @Winglessdargon 3 роки тому +425

    Everyone in the comments section: "omg you guys are making fun of his speech impediment!"
    Me, looking through the comments section, unable to find anyone criticizing him:

    • @bach907
      @bach907 3 роки тому +16

      Search by new and you'll see them.

    • @yobigmom8765
      @yobigmom8765 3 роки тому +4

      Exactly ppl just wanna look all humble

    • @wiva4707
      @wiva4707 3 роки тому +23

      Bruh he has a speech impediment? I barely even noticed. Thought it was just maybe some accent.

    • @FreakMeat74
      @FreakMeat74 3 роки тому +7

      @@wiva4707 Same for me, seems the more voices I hear the less I can distinguish between them lol I can hardly even recognize some actual accents now.

    • @tastedivinefury2198
      @tastedivinefury2198 3 роки тому +1

      @@wiva4707 it’s the örth

  • @dracodracarys2339
    @dracodracarys2339 3 роки тому +239

    so if silicon-based life forms invent cream sauce pasta would they call it siliconara

  • @jimjimsauce
    @jimjimsauce 4 роки тому +847

    this man just did the work and research to put together a video about a topic that is probably too complex for 90% of the audience to even grasp and everyone just goes to the comments to poke fun at his speech impediment. i’m disappointed. you did a great job isaac

    • @journeyfan05
      @journeyfan05 3 роки тому +45

      Who's poking fun of his speech impediment? And why would 90% of the audience even watch his videos if they couldn't grasp the topics discussed? His style of content is for people who understand the concepts talked about, sure he dumbs it down a bit, and I'd say that's to appeal to those who are newer to these topics. Generally I've found that people who are more educated in these topics also tend to be more mature than to bully someone who has spent hours of their own time in order to provide free education over a slight speech impediment, as they value people's efforts to contribute to science. Whoever is saying that shit about Isaac is an asshole but I don't think this content really appeals to assholes.

    • @derp195
      @derp195 3 роки тому +8

      Condescension aside, I'm sure he appreciates that every comment (including yours) feels the need to point it out.

    • @derp195
      @derp195 3 роки тому +12

      @@journeyfan05 Because it's a masturbatory comment to make them feel like they're better than others for patting some supposedly disenfranchised person on the back. It's adjacent to "inspiration porn".

    • @hoomannlicher
      @hoomannlicher 3 роки тому +10

      dude i'm 13, i'm just trying to understand this topic, i see no comments mocking him

    • @zyslug7503
      @zyslug7503 3 роки тому +1

      @@hoomannlicher go to the newest comments

  • @emperorSbraz
    @emperorSbraz 4 роки тому +1889

    aliens be like: "you make computer chips out of WHAT?" :)

    • @mattmcintosh3939
      @mattmcintosh3939 4 роки тому +172

      Qwerty :P as would wearing diamonds lol

    • @BierBart12
      @BierBart12 4 роки тому +210

      Drinking water is cannibalism

    • @Cutesune
      @Cutesune 4 роки тому +29

      Thinking meat... if you are a silicon based lifeform anyway.

    • @maryzhen2031
      @maryzhen2031 4 роки тому +27

      i know it's a joke but...human eat meat too. i don't think it's a problem.

    • @Fred_the_1996
      @Fred_the_1996 4 роки тому +29

      @Qwerty :P that's why I eat charcoal

  • @thelionoob
    @thelionoob 3 роки тому +262

    It's fun that when reading the comments I got confused as hell because his voice sounds perfectly normal to me. As a person whose English is not the first language, he sounds more understandable than most English-speaking people on youtube.

    • @luftwaffle3766
      @luftwaffle3766 3 роки тому +4

      A small bit less understandable but still understandable to me

    • @ArjunSharma-gy1eq
      @ArjunSharma-gy1eq 2 роки тому +1

      @@luftwaffle3766 play it at 2x

    • @TheGoldenBoot-cz1do
      @TheGoldenBoot-cz1do 2 роки тому +5

      Nah, but his English is clear. He just has a lisp

    • @m_fredi9549
      @m_fredi9549 2 роки тому +1

      Lol, same. It wasnt until I read the comments and I started to listen with more attention

    • @MrTimboy40
      @MrTimboy40 Рік тому +1

      Sounds like ELMER FUDD 🤣🤣🤣

  • @johnchristopherrobert1839
    @johnchristopherrobert1839 3 роки тому +169

    Silica in the presence of oxygen will crystallize. If silica based life exists it will probably be most likely to occur in environments devoid of water and oxygen.

    • @MountainFisher
      @MountainFisher 3 роки тому +31

      Pure silicon actually is fairly inert and doesn't react to oxygen, unless it is exposed to an alkali. Then they turn into silicates the most common compound in the Earth's crust and it seems the Mantle too.

    • @couchpotato4928
      @couchpotato4928 3 роки тому +34

      Plus oxygen wasn’t all that common before the appearance of Cyanobacteria on earth, and probably wouldn’t be found in abundance anywhere other than planets with life. I think we can safely assume most non-carbon based life would be anaerobic. Maybe they would use chemosynthesis or some alternative form of photosynthesis

    • @i_am_anxious0247
      @i_am_anxious0247 3 роки тому +3

      @@couchpotato4928 oxygen is the third most common element in the universe. a lot of it didn't naturally occur on a planet here, but it could somewhere else.

    • @couchpotato4928
      @couchpotato4928 3 роки тому +23

      @@i_am_anxious0247 oxygen in general is very common, but it’s also highly reactive. Most planet’s atmospheres don’t have it because most of the oxygen just gets converted to CO2 or some other gas. The reason we have so much of it is because of Cyanobacteria.

    • @vladibalan
      @vladibalan 2 роки тому +10

      @@couchpotato4928 Oxygen was as common as before the cyanobacteria. But it was bound to carbon (CO2). Cyanobacteria don't produce oxygen out of nothing. They release it from carbon. So ... minor correction :) - oxygen wasn't as available to react before cyanobacteria....

  • @ultrahd3388
    @ultrahd3388 4 роки тому +572

    "I don't really know what I'm talking about, but odds are no one else does either."
    issac arthur 2018. i think this line suit this episode well.

  • @douglasstewart4790
    @douglasstewart4790 4 роки тому +462

    I remember reading a short story where aliens freak out when they discover an intelligent lifeform made of meat - us - and go into hiding to avoid further contact with such horrors.

    • @pretzelbomb6105
      @pretzelbomb6105 4 роки тому +88

      “They’re Made Out of Meat” by Terry Bisson

    • @erikmckoul2478
      @erikmckoul2478 4 роки тому +58

      We are like eldritch horrors to them! Sweet now we just need some cultists and we are miniature Cthulhu's.

    • @tarbus8932
      @tarbus8932 4 роки тому +11

      I remeber everyone in my English class laugh at it. Ah, the mind of a 14 year old

    • @vicariousgamer2871
      @vicariousgamer2871 4 роки тому +30

      If you really think about it, we humans are really quite freakish. We're stuck here on this planet. We could not easily exist (for now) anywhere else. Damn primordial sludge flukes we are. Oh yeah, and the fact that we can't even reach the middle of our backs to scratch is just obscene ! LOL

    • @BlazingMagpie
      @BlazingMagpie 4 роки тому +80

      ​@@vicariousgamer2871 The scariest part about Earth's life would be oxygen: there's this molecule that corrodes everything it touches, reacting with some materials so strongly it can turn gas into plasma, and there's a lifeform that not only survives in atmosphere that has 21% of that volatile element, but uses it to burn carbon compounds inside of it for energy.

  • @Rob-cy8xc
    @Rob-cy8xc 2 роки тому +11

    Couldn’t care less about the guys voice - his knowledge is unreal. Never heard such knowledge packed into 25 min videos. Insane free content

  • @gmccool1576
    @gmccool1576 3 роки тому +14

    this guy has huge balls to start a youtube channel and grind out COMMENTARY videos WITH a speech impediment for hundreds of thousands of people to watch everyday i mean the internet can be cruel and this dude gives no shit. respect 💯

  • @danielbakergill
    @danielbakergill 4 роки тому +421

    Still smell the ink on this world-changing script.
    The greatest of the second generation of science communicators.
    You're a hero, Isaac.

    • @evans5363
      @evans5363 4 роки тому +7

      Agreed! I proselytize for Isaac all the time to anyone who'll listen.

    • @edwardjoseph5278
      @edwardjoseph5278 4 роки тому +7

      @misterpink95 sound like a complement buddy :)

    • @animatedfun1803
      @animatedfun1803 4 роки тому +2

      Anybody know how to contact Isaac Arthur so I can ask him a question I have.

    • @y__h
      @y__h 4 роки тому +4

      His knowledge always fascinates me because his scripts are very very diverse in topics and deep enough to make us want to pursue one of such big dreams mankind really needed right now.

    • @toddstewart4579
      @toddstewart4579 4 роки тому +2

      second?

  • @ioratv
    @ioratv 4 роки тому +261

    On a parallel universe where everything is mostly identical to ours except life on earth is silicon based
    "Non-Silicon Based Life" by Isaac Arthur

    • @Triumph263
      @Triumph263 4 роки тому +43

      "It's also possible that life could form on large rocky formations held together by gravity orbiting stars rather than in nebulas; though this may be rather improbable due to the limited amounts of gamma and x-ray radiation making basic electrostatic powered mechanical processes very inefficient. Some of suggested forms of chemistry could fulfill a similar purpose."

    • @TheExoplanetsChannel
      @TheExoplanetsChannel 4 роки тому +4

      Amazing

    • @endsinvention1390
      @endsinvention1390 4 роки тому +4

      Triumph263 I loled hard.

    • @richards4986
      @richards4986 4 роки тому +2

      @@Triumph263 I agree 🤔🤔🤪

    • @axiezimmah
      @axiezimmah 4 роки тому

      @@richards4986 wrong reality

  • @egghound_flopper
    @egghound_flopper 3 роки тому +714

    dear non-carbon based lifeforms:
    do you fart

  • @neurofiber2406
    @neurofiber2406 3 роки тому +14

    People looking for other intelligent species often overlook the possibility of synthetic species that have outlived their original creators...

    • @sorenskousen7468
      @sorenskousen7468 3 роки тому +7

      agreed

    • @leandrog2785
      @leandrog2785 3 роки тому +6

      Or species that originated and evolved based on carbon or silicon biochemistry then intentionally replaced that with an artificial alternative (whether silicon electronic or not).

  • @ApexHerbivore
    @ApexHerbivore 4 роки тому +925

    "The Universe _is_ fairly large"
    Isaac Arthur. 2020.

    • @arrocoda3590
      @arrocoda3590 4 роки тому +36

      Only a medium sized infinite.

    • @legion404
      @legion404 4 роки тому +36

      the "univors"

    • @marzi_kat
      @marzi_kat 4 роки тому

      That's the first rule of universe

    • @misterid1075
      @misterid1075 4 роки тому +2

      Big, if true.

    • @MrLense
      @MrLense 4 роки тому +1

      Only fairly

  • @superscatboy
    @superscatboy 4 роки тому +129

    I want a mug with '"The universe is fairly large" - Isaac Arthur' printed on it.

    • @ghyul6263
      @ghyul6263 3 роки тому +1

      i wouldnt buy it

    • @sequentiacyclica
      @sequentiacyclica 3 роки тому +3

      It's at least 3

    • @TheWordisGod
      @TheWordisGod 3 роки тому +2

      i stopped the video at that point and scrolled down looking for this comment.

    • @nickmalachai2227
      @nickmalachai2227 3 роки тому

      Alternatively:
      "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space."
      -Douglas Adams (possibly paraphrased? I recall a version where it said "chemist" instead of "drug store")

    • @superscatboy
      @superscatboy 3 роки тому +1

      @@nickmalachai2227 I'm 99% sure it was "chemist's" as that's the English terminology. I think the "drug store" version is a modification made to appeal to American audiences.

  • @Self-replicating_whatnot
    @Self-replicating_whatnot 2 роки тому +21

    Silicon life forms would literally shit bricks.

    • @aaaaa111aaaaa
      @aaaaa111aaaaa 9 місяців тому +1

      Wouldnt they also breathe Out sand

  • @ericcarpenter2454
    @ericcarpenter2454 3 роки тому +67

    The auto generated captions can understand and translate this man perfectly which means he has better pronunciation than 99% of us. Thank you for this well researched, well edited, and well narrated content sir❤️

    • @hapybratt8640
      @hapybratt8640 2 роки тому +7

      I don't think that's how pronunciation works

    • @wotchermystic2335
      @wotchermystic2335 Рік тому +5

      The captions aren't auto generated. You can tell because of the punctuation. I appreciate that he provided his own captions, because auto generated captions are imperfect & this is such a complicated subject.

  • @Sage4x4
    @Sage4x4 4 роки тому +265

    Hey Issac, congrats on beating your speech impediment. Your voice has changed a lot since I last saw your videos a year and a half ago. I'm so happy to see you progress and succeed. Best wishes.

  • @RelativelyBest
    @RelativelyBest 4 роки тому +120

    What I expected: Theories on what weird aliens may be out there.
    What I got: Chemistry lesson.

  • @sparklesparklesparklesparkle
    @sparklesparklesparklesparkle 3 роки тому +390

    Y'all: dragging this guy for his speech quirk
    Me, an non-native english speaker: ????? Isn't that just his accent?

    • @jstantongood5474
      @jstantongood5474 3 роки тому +38

      No, there is no regional accent like this. It is clearly a speech impediment. He's very brave to narrate.

    • @lucim6097
      @lucim6097 3 роки тому +2

      Robinson Papo yes

    • @sam-terriblecontentandmore3702
      @sam-terriblecontentandmore3702 3 роки тому +2

      j stanton Good more of a lisp

    • @kaos_fawn3260
      @kaos_fawn3260 3 роки тому +7

      It’s just he can’t pronounce his Rs right

    • @balthazarnaylor5874
      @balthazarnaylor5874 3 роки тому +5

      @Robinson Papo r into v, er into ur, and some more stuff like that. It's kinda hard to understand without subtitles tho

  • @Treixgee
    @Treixgee 3 роки тому +71

    I've thought of this ever since I was a kid... like everyone says oh all life is carbon based all life needs water. And i always thought couldnt it be possible for things to breath off some other chemical as long as its reaction in the internal body outcomes life i mean what the heck.

    • @michaelnewson5395
      @michaelnewson5395 3 роки тому +2

      all life dont need need water fool......smh

    • @rawsaucerobert
      @rawsaucerobert 3 роки тому +9

      Same. Ever since I heard scientists were looking for water I was curious if life could only survive with water, why do they need water? Now that I'm older, I realize we don't have the answers and I think non carbon based life is possible. If a primordial soup can somehow produce proteins, why can't this be true?

    • @jeanemare4116
      @jeanemare4116 3 роки тому +1

      @@rawsaucerobert Carbon because it is the superior building material due to its strong bondings. (longevity allowing for more complex chemical reactions to emerge over time) Water is more earth life specific but it is a great solvent. (primordial soup)

    • @David-jw8ll
      @David-jw8ll 3 роки тому +3

      @@michaelnewson5395 what known life form does not reequire water?

    • @shadowzerg
      @shadowzerg 3 роки тому

      @@David-jw8ll What alien is a known life form? Far more likely that discovering aliens would change our models of Biology rather than reinforce then

  • @Felixkeeg
    @Felixkeeg 4 роки тому +357

    Chemist here, some reasons, why Silicon-based life is unlikely to exist (long):
    - Chirality: Especially in carbon based scaffolds there is a property called chirality, which arises from the central atom being bound to 4 different substituents. There are two ways to bind four different groups to a central carbon atom, the resulting structures being mirror images of one another, we call them enantiomers. This is a very important property, as all biological machinery use this to their advantage, as substrate-enzyme recognition is based on structure. Try putting on your right shoe on your left foot and the concept becomes obvious.
    Now, Silicon has the tendency to connect to five substituents sometimes. With some wobbling and ejecting the fifth substituent again, this can invert chiralty of the central atom (look up berry pseudo-rotation for more).
    - Double bonds: Carbon atoms are not always bonded to 4 other atoms, double and triple bonds also exist. Biologically, double bonds are highly important, because of the electronic, structural and chemical properties of the resulting molecule. Look up retinol. Retinol is the compound that lets you see, because the alternating double and single bonds in the structure actually are not fixed in the position. They actually are what we call conjugated, meaning their properties lie between that of an isolated double bond and an isolated single bond. This conjugation allows for the abosorption of light in the visible range, as the size of the conjugated system is correlated to it's optical properties.
    Another example are what we call aromatic compounds, cyclic conjugated systems. A prominent example in biology are the nucleobases found in your DNA. The interesting thing is that aromatic systems form flat molecules, which can interact in unique ways, like stacking on top of each other (one of the mechanisms, that lets DNA keep it's shape).
    Silicon does not form such structures. There are Si-Si double bonds, but only under harsh conditions and they are only found in isolated systems like Si2H4)
    -Hydrogen bonding: Let's stick with DNA. The nucleic bases on the two strands are held together not by actual chemical bonds, but by electric forces. In chemistry, we have a concept called electronegativity. It describes how much an atom of a given element likes to tug on the electrons in a chemical bond. If two elements bonded to each other have a somewhat high (but not to great) difference in electronegativity, we call the bond between them polarized. Example for this are bonds like N-H and O-H. In those bonds the hydrogen is the less electronegative element and thus somewhat more positively charged. This allows the hydrogen atom to interact with parts of other molecules (like water, or a part of another nucleobase), thus creating an magnetic force between the molecules. Hydrogen bonds are key to structures like enzymes and proteins, DNA, RNA and others. With carbon, bonds like R3C-O-H (R being a generic carbon group) are stable, like in Ethanol (CH3-CH2-OH), with silicone we have silanols (R3Si-OH). Silanols are not stable and react with each other. In this reaction water is kicked out and a Si-O-Si bond is created, ultimately giving SiO2 (glass).
    - Thermodynamics: Si-Si single bonds aren't stable either, so structures analogous to hydrocarbons (oils and fats) are impossible. There are silicones, where silicon atoms are spaced apart by oxygen, but they are formed in a reaction of silicon halides with water. Silicon halides are highly reactive and are formed in a reaction between acids like HCl (hydrogen chloride) and silicone in the abscence of moisture and air. Now, a natural process, where silicon halides are formed is possible. But there being free water to produce silicones on the same planet is unlikely. Also, silicones have organic groups along the chains side, if you reacted SiCl4 with water, you'd just get SiO2 (glass) again, which is a thermodynamic pit.
    These are just things from the top of my head, but there are more reasons. Though, this has taken me long enough and I'll stick with this for now.

    • @b33lze6u6
      @b33lze6u6 4 роки тому +25

      Was looking for this comment. Thank you. I also found the berry pseudo rotation thing pretty interesting

    • @chromanin
      @chromanin 4 роки тому +32

      Great comment, should be pinned. I was disappointed at how the episode glossed over the chemistry, as it is really the heart of the whole topic.

    • @yaldabaoth2
      @yaldabaoth2 4 роки тому +38

      Also chemist here. Poorly written episodes like this one really call into question all the other episodes. This is pretty much a fiction channel to me.

    • @kennyholmes5196
      @kennyholmes5196 4 роки тому +3

      OK, so, he mentioned Ammonia. In your opinion, how well would ammonia-instead-of-water life work?

    • @Felixkeeg
      @Felixkeeg 4 роки тому +16

      @@yaldabaoth2 This has been my feeling as well, consulting someone in the field is important for such topics. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt though and say, that he might be more into the physics science.

  • @Graphomite
    @Graphomite 4 роки тому +454

    "The universe is fairly large."
    Fairly, he says. As if it's not literally the largest thing possible.

    • @sofaking1611
      @sofaking1611 4 роки тому +22

      As far as we know

    • @WorivpuqloDMogh
      @WorivpuqloDMogh 3 роки тому +1

      It isnt the largest thing. There is another void beyond ours full of other universes

    • @masync183
      @masync183 3 роки тому +5

      @@WorivpuqloDMogh source?

    • @WorivpuqloDMogh
      @WorivpuqloDMogh 3 роки тому +11

      @@masync183 thats classified

    • @WorivpuqloDMogh
      @WorivpuqloDMogh 3 роки тому +2

      @@masync183 i just know its the case. I am not giving any further information

  • @Reinhard96
    @Reinhard96 3 роки тому +53

    You used music from Stellaris. I don't care about your speech problem. You just got a sub. Also, great video. I'm glad more people are thinking about different kinds of life. The Stellaris DLC "Lithoids" is quite the interesting one in thinking that geodes can be life.

    • @miamitten1123
      @miamitten1123 Рік тому

      Shut up!

    • @josecano326
      @josecano326 Рік тому +3

      If im correct, lithoid species are supposed to be silicon-based, right?

  • @Big_Slick
    @Big_Slick 3 роки тому +17

    He has this incredible ability to break down fairly complex topics into easily digestible chunks that flow so well together. I really appreciate the work you're doing and I wish I had found this channel sooner.

  • @notmadeofpeople4935
    @notmadeofpeople4935 4 роки тому +65

    Who remembers the old school star trek episode the "devil in the dark" where they depict silicon based life as just big rocks that can move through other rocks. I always felt like they missed the point hilariously. I can think of a ton of sci-fi that would have been so much better with Isaac Arthur as a science consultant. Keep it up Isaac. Thanks!

    • @andymouse
      @andymouse 4 роки тому +11

      That was a great episode ! McCoy heals one with plaster and a trowel and they were all pissed off because we smashed their eggs... something like that.

    • @jamesn0va
      @jamesn0va 4 роки тому +8

      Tng did an episode on tiny sand like silicoids that took control of ming lasers and attacked the mining crew.

    • @matthewhicks6531
      @matthewhicks6531 4 роки тому +5

      james wilson silicon life form speaking:
      “Ugly bags of mostly water.”

    • @tealc6218
      @tealc6218 4 роки тому +5

      The Horta would be a great aid to us colonizing other planets. Maybe Elon Musk's Boring Co. can bio-engineer such a creature.

    • @jtee6723
      @jtee6723 4 роки тому +1

      I would like to see him write episodes for outer limits reboot 2020.

  • @fanaticaltechpriest1002
    @fanaticaltechpriest1002 4 роки тому +512

    Non carbon life? HERESY!

    • @PeteofHartainia
      @PeteofHartainia 4 роки тому +44

      Disdain the Xenos, praise the Emperor!

    • @callumunga5253
      @callumunga5253 4 роки тому +15

      +Fanatical Techpriest
      Says the silicon-man.
      (Actually, I've no idea what the composition of cogitators is)

    • @DonnaChamberson
      @DonnaChamberson 4 роки тому +4

      Hi guys dumb question but what is carbon?

    • @hjalmarjonssonrantala5375
      @hjalmarjonssonrantala5375 4 роки тому +8

      @@callumunga5253 mostly human brains, probably

    • @hafor2846
      @hafor2846 4 роки тому +8

      @@callumunga5253
      A cogitator is a human brain, but altered with all sorts of machinery.

  • @richmckenith
    @richmckenith 3 роки тому +409

    He might have a speech impediment, but he's smarter than everyone in the comment section 😂

    • @prototropo
      @prototropo 3 роки тому +22

      Rich Mckenith Agreed, Rich. I actually like his speech; I don’t know why everyone wants to call it an impediment.

    • @calico.5588
      @calico.5588 3 роки тому +11

      why does his voice matter?

    • @ghyul6263
      @ghyul6263 3 роки тому +7

      bold assumption considering theres almost 3 thousand comments

    • @onyx4462
      @onyx4462 3 роки тому +1

      They’re joking not bullying him

    • @waveywonderbread3341
      @waveywonderbread3341 3 роки тому +2

      On god

  • @LordAngrim
    @LordAngrim 3 роки тому +47

    The Stellaris soundtrack fits so well

    • @hadrianos1
      @hadrianos1 3 роки тому +5

      hahaha I was scrolling down looking for this comment!

    • @lysneb
      @lysneb 3 роки тому +2

      @@hadrianos1 same

  • @irishspartanstudios
    @irishspartanstudios 4 роки тому +70

    Hey Issac, just want to let you know, I love your work man! I'm a science fiction writer, and you videos have given me some great ideas (as in the science)! I actually put a reference to you in the name of an ancient scientist from a precousor empire, I changed some letters around and added and removed some. Let me know if that's not ok. Keep it up man!

    • @isaacarthurSFIA
      @isaacarthurSFIA  4 роки тому +46

      :) Thanks, and yes its fine, truth be told I have a growing (and probably slightly smug & egotistic) collection of novels on the shelf of folks who attributed me in some fashion

    • @jimBobuu
      @jimBobuu 4 роки тому +11

      I was literally going to ask "I wonder how many science fiction writers have used SFIA as a toolbox / reference guide."
      So, not zero is answer. Yay!
      When I first started listening, I wondered who the target audience would be. I listen at work. I've been doing avionics for so long that I have plenty of attention to spare for entertainment / education but I doubted that many people have the kind of work environment that allows for this sort of distraction. So ultimately I figured aspiring SF authors would be a large group of the subscribers.

    • @danielpirela1225
      @danielpirela1225 4 роки тому +8

      @@isaacarthurSFIA hello there Isaac, i am a amateur sci-fi writter as well...i finished a prequel book of around 80 pages long. And I would like to send it to you and see what you think about my writting and science acurracy. I send my prequel book to some friends in Discord and tell me it is really good, but i need the oppinion of a expert of Science and Space.
      Btw, it is heavily inspired on Mass Effect and Halo

    • @CHFafard
      @CHFafard 4 роки тому +3

      @@isaacarthurSFIA I'll be adding to that list, some day!

    • @y__h
      @y__h 4 роки тому +2

      @@jimBobuu His target audience is all of mankind, because these videos are a glimpse of what mankind able to dream and aspire to create.

  • @danielpirela1225
    @danielpirela1225 4 роки тому +70

    For unknownn reasons, when Isaac Arthur said: "Non carbon life forms"
    I thought in the Lithoids DLC from Stellaris...silicon based.

    • @wandraak58
      @wandraak58 4 роки тому +22

      For "unknown" reasons - maybe because Stellaris soundtrack is playing in that section of the video? ;)

    • @Sean409409
      @Sean409409 4 роки тому +2

      @@wandraak58 dang you beat me to it lol.

    • @_Muzolf
      @_Muzolf 4 роки тому +2

      Or the silicoids from Master of Orion.
      They were a menace in the first game, because they quickly started colonizing every rock in everyones back yards. You needed to research to be able to settle hostile worlds, they did not care, plus they polluted every planet they were on.
      On the plus side, killing them was a good way of getting better rep with everyone else.

    • @vascoa
      @vascoa 4 роки тому +1

      @@wandraak58 I also noticed stellaris soundtrack :)
      Hard to miss..

  • @Proactivity
    @Proactivity 3 роки тому +9

    So much of sci-fi and speculation about extra-terrestrial lifeforms makes the assumption that life would not only be carbon-based, but resemble recognisable life from earth, usually with a head, arms and legs where we'd expect to find them. Where you read about the search for life in the universe, it's invariably for the Goldilocks regions where conditions would allow life as we know it to exist. It's refreshing to hear someone thinking way out of the box to contemplate radically differing forms of life.

  • @FinlayHamm
    @FinlayHamm 3 роки тому +41

    "10-24 stars in the observable universe"
    wow that's a lot of stars

    • @PupperTiggle
      @PupperTiggle 3 роки тому

      bwuh dwid hwe weawy sway thwat

    • @Dima-ik3bt
      @Dima-ik3bt 3 роки тому +3

      That's 10^24 stars

    • @leandrog2785
      @leandrog2785 3 роки тому

      With the amount of light in the night sky of cities, you can probably only observe less than 24 stars anyway

    • @mizzshortie907
      @mizzshortie907 3 роки тому +5

      @@PupperTiggle 🤔👎🏻👎🏻

  • @rossharbuck7085
    @rossharbuck7085 4 роки тому +2131

    No one:
    Isaac's Voice: "UwU"

    • @sgtsaltstick2729
      @sgtsaltstick2729 4 роки тому +42

      Yeah omgi thought i was crazy!

    • @plonzz
      @plonzz 4 роки тому +38

      Yeah i thought that was just an accent lol

    • @Speed001
      @Speed001 4 роки тому +83

      @@plonzz Speech impediment

    • @CT-Records
      @CT-Records 4 роки тому +75

      I actually like it. It's like this guy's flavor, a different tinge from other space-exploration content. Kind of calming.

    • @Speed001
      @Speed001 4 роки тому +27

      @LE Jimenez I don't think people mean anything by it.
      They just don't know and find it different.

  • @tonyhere7004
    @tonyhere7004 4 роки тому +72

    Immediately got an image of silicon based creatures looking up at the crust wondering if life could form in those unexplored frozen wastes with that earth cross section...

  • @TheNumber1RatedSalesman1997
    @TheNumber1RatedSalesman1997 3 роки тому +5

    i've not even finished the video; but the amount of information you not only fit in, but skillfully piece together for a good flow is phenomenal

  • @cleverestx
    @cleverestx 3 роки тому +68

    "The universe is fairly large..." - UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE MILLENNIA!

    • @tomilayjr
      @tomilayjr 3 роки тому +2

      Fairly small compared to how big it will get?

    • @colintheboywonder
      @colintheboywonder 3 роки тому

      More like decently large, I agree!

    • @JOMFSE
      @JOMFSE 3 роки тому +2

      It’s all relative

    • @TheWordisGod
      @TheWordisGod 3 роки тому +1

      relative to what? what makes the universe look small you youtube donkey 🤣

    • @achtsekundenfurz7876
      @achtsekundenfurz7876 3 роки тому +2

      Meanwhile on Wikipedia: "The universe is fairly large [citation needed]"

  • @cwdiode4521
    @cwdiode4521 4 роки тому +161

    Imagine a robotic life-form created by a Boltzmann brain, being conscious and having a religion with the Boltzmann brain as the god

    • @benjacksonwithnonumbers
      @benjacksonwithnonumbers 4 роки тому +11

      The Nature Soldier Azathoth?

    • @aldoushuxley5953
      @aldoushuxley5953 4 роки тому +14

      @@benjacksonwithnonumbers An adaption of Lovecraft with that idea would be super awesome.

    • @amciuam157
      @amciuam157 4 роки тому +8

      Read a book Golem XIV by Stanislav Lem. Very good sci-fi writer and futurologist from east europe (Poland). The book is about a super computer made by previously built computers, Golem is the 14th series. It has interesting point of view and philosophy.

    • @merrittanimation7721
      @merrittanimation7721 4 роки тому +3

      @@amciuam157 Unrelated to this topic he also wrote Solaris. It has interesting look at alien intelligences.

    • @bullroarer-took
      @bullroarer-took 4 роки тому +14

      dude everyone knows machine empires can't take the spiritualist ethic

  • @ChrisPBacon-jl7oc
    @ChrisPBacon-jl7oc 4 роки тому +5

    I've been seeing people make fun of your speech. I dont need subtitles, your voice is calming and completely clear tbh, one of the best voices on youtube I can listen to it for hours and not lose interest. Ignore them becuase it's one of the rare things in life to have a flaw make you stronger and for the better. Love your work and all the people that keep it going. Bringing credibility to scifi is hard to do. Good job.

  • @surosregime3746
    @surosregime3746 3 роки тому +486

    People who make fun of this guy's voice have little pp energy his voice is amazing

    • @Didnt_ask69
      @Didnt_ask69 3 роки тому +8

      Who here is making fun of him?

    • @420alfonzo6
      @420alfonzo6 3 роки тому +5

      Agreed

    • @Gytis_Of_KFP_The_4th_PenKing
      @Gytis_Of_KFP_The_4th_PenKing 3 роки тому +19

      im not making fun of his voice.its not funny its just annoying and hard to understand.but i will make fun of your comment.from your comment i can tell how old are you...9 year old....1st: pp energy ( is pewdiepie thing and all his viewers are 9 year olds) 2nd : again pp energy and "u cant dislike it.its not his own fault he is like that.." bla bla...u just didnt grow balls yet to be honest.yes its not his fault his voice sucks but you dont need to act like u like it and if you actually like it.stop telling other ppl what to do or not to do and insulting them for having different opinions and expressing them

    • @mildew3660
      @mildew3660 3 роки тому +15

      @@Gytis_Of_KFP_The_4th_PenKing My man, for someone calling people 9 year olds you sure don't seem much older..

    • @llamaboystudio5307
      @llamaboystudio5307 3 роки тому +9

      gytis uzupis, you’re that person that can’t take a joke or listen to a conversation without getting offended.

  • @SocksworthRiffs
    @SocksworthRiffs 3 роки тому +7

    You know, I had this book way back in 3rd grade around the year 2000 that touched on something like this - it had some picture of a weird creature that was an artist rendition that breathed nitrogen and was not carbon based. I hadn't thought about it for testers and I have no idea what book it was now, but this video brought back insane amounts of memories from then.
    I want to find that book again

    • @FlopgamingOne
      @FlopgamingOne 6 місяців тому +1

      sounds cool

    • @shzarmai
      @shzarmai 4 місяці тому +1

      that's quite interesting, I have never heard or read of nitrogen-breathing non-carbon-based lifeforms tbh....

  • @EsplodingBomb
    @EsplodingBomb 4 роки тому +61

    Hot off the presses!

  • @ravenlord4
    @ravenlord4 4 роки тому +128

    Imagine getting infected by a silicon bug, and suffocating as your lungs filled up with sand (SiO2).

  • @kwekker
    @kwekker 3 роки тому +35

    omg, dude, look at this planet's carbon based life, they're making weird things with buttons and lights made of our bodies!

    • @mitchh3092
      @mitchh3092 3 роки тому +3

      Turns out WE WERE THE MONSTERS ALL ALONG

    • @sumreensultana1860
      @sumreensultana1860 2 роки тому

      @@mitchh3092 but they would be our monsters lol

  • @maximus5060
    @maximus5060 3 роки тому +13

    I'm not even a native speaker and I can understand his voice perfectly well without CC. I get that he can't pronounce Rs but it's still intelligible.

    • @PyrusFlameborn
      @PyrusFlameborn 3 роки тому +3

      I'm a non-native speaker as well and to me most English accents barely pronounce the R anyway so this just sounds like an accent to me.

  • @a3van609
    @a3van609 4 роки тому +15

    I remember some youtuber explaining the likeliness of Silicon based lifeforms managing to survive in a world where instead of water the medium of life is ammonia instead. Its been close to 6 months since i saw that video so maybe im wrong but certainly something about non-carbon based lifeform in an ammonia world. I think the channel was TREY the explainer but maybe not. Anyways great video.

  • @megabread8625
    @megabread8625 4 роки тому +10

    I honestly have to thank you for this video, I've been looking everywhere for a good reference for more unique, weird aliens. I'm writing a sci-fi story so of course, I gotta have the aliens, but I don't want the basic cookie cutter "hehe hoho human but squid" aliens, and this video was exactly what I was looking for.

  • @bruhmoment5700
    @bruhmoment5700 3 роки тому +26

    I swear god that I first read "non-cabron based life" lmaoo😂

  • @jakeharris3248
    @jakeharris3248 3 роки тому +1

    Another great video !!! Truly I have to say how much I appreciate the effort I know must be put into making this and all your other well made videos. Ive not only had info Ive known already be reinforced to help me remember said info in the future , but I’ve also learned so much and continue to do so with every one of yours I watch. Please keep it up 👍!

  • @carloguerrero6583
    @carloguerrero6583 4 роки тому +50

    "The smaller the scale, the faster stuff happens"
    Can't wait a small alien saying that when teased of it's height

    • @draconisthewyvern3664
      @draconisthewyvern3664 4 роки тому +3

      An that's why you're a quick shot. XD

    • @carloguerrero6583
      @carloguerrero6583 4 роки тому +3

      @@draconisthewyvern3664 Careful, they could very well be the perfect height for a low blow.

    • @josephsheff
      @josephsheff 3 роки тому

      However the universe expands faster than the speed of light so I disagree

  • @imienazwisko6527
    @imienazwisko6527 4 роки тому +67

    "...or even stranger sources like lightning..."
    Oh god
    Hattifatteners

  • @misaalanshori
    @misaalanshori 3 роки тому +10

    Silicon-based life would have carbon-based computers

  • @Demonslayer-64
    @Demonslayer-64 3 роки тому +10

    *Audible ad playing *
    Beginning of the video :
    "This video is sponsored by Audible"

  • @iainballas
    @iainballas 4 роки тому +67

    Was that Stellaris music in the background?
    I liked it.

    • @mushi1985
      @mushi1985 4 роки тому +7

      Surely he plays the game too

    • @samotdengode
      @samotdengode 4 роки тому +1

      Yeah noticed that. Truly isaac is a man of Good taste

    • @Zaire82
      @Zaire82 4 роки тому +1

      I only got the game a week ago, but still recognised it immediately.
      I'm usually the type who spends hours trying to remember where the song is from, but apparently not this time.

    • @anatta4274
      @anatta4274 4 роки тому

      Stellaris gang
      Stellaris gang

    • @Torriotorres
      @Torriotorres 3 роки тому

      Definatly Stellaris! When i broke my collarbone and couldn't move, I played the soundtrack a lot, definatly not trippin on painkillers ha

  • @NickPoeschek
    @NickPoeschek 4 роки тому +27

    I love these topics. When I was a kid, I remember reading science fiction and wondering if any of the fantastical life forms described would ever be possible. It seems like silicon-based life has been a staple forever but I appreciate the look at what other forms might be possible.

    • @GySgt_USMC_Ret.
      @GySgt_USMC_Ret. 4 роки тому +3

      As a kid, I hung out at the magazine racks so much that the manager at the 7-11 gave me a job cleaning the store. My payment was that I could take home one each of as many books and magazines as I wanted, just had to return them undamaged. That summer I discovered Science Fiction. Ooorah! Fair winds and following seas to all.

  • @rustysage
    @rustysage 3 роки тому +31

    Tip: To find the negative comments, go to newest first

    • @bigchungus6827
      @bigchungus6827 3 роки тому +1

      I did, and I just found bad attempts at meme-ing. The closest thing to a negative comment was that his voice sounds like "an UWU accent"

    • @NT-sx2bd
      @NT-sx2bd 3 роки тому

      @@bigchungus6827 UwU

    • @rustysage
      @rustysage 3 роки тому

      @@livingart2576 Exactly, the newest first filter is the definition of cursed though

  • @prxnv
    @prxnv 10 місяців тому +1

    excellent video. i also appreciate the effort into enunciating ur words man!
    subscribed.

  • @m.campbell3405
    @m.campbell3405 4 роки тому +142

    When can we do battle against those repulsive Silicoids.

    • @Daltem
      @Daltem 4 роки тому +24

      For the emperor

    • @catdogfishdogcats
      @catdogfishdogcats 4 роки тому +16

      Even worse, the PaperClipoids

    • @Smerpyderp
      @Smerpyderp 4 роки тому +4

      Bongos oh shit! This is like Scribblenauts mate! You’ve just doomed us all!

    • @KF1
      @KF1 4 роки тому +9

      Shortly after you secure a trade treaty with the bird people. But hold on, we have to research the positronic supercomputer. in the meantime, spies have uncovered the secrets of neutronium physics....Shit, now the starfighters need an armor upgrade. Recall the fleet!

    • @ENiceGeo
      @ENiceGeo 4 роки тому +1

      @@Daltem For retaliation due to them unleashing their genocidal BETA creations loose on the galaxy.

  • @mopippenger7373
    @mopippenger7373 4 роки тому +16

    “Time... is about how much living you can get done”
    damn...

  • @jonathanhensley6141
    @jonathanhensley6141 7 місяців тому +1

    All of your videos are informative and enlightening whether they are older or newer ones. You make the universe a bright and entertaining place to explore.

  • @Roberto-REME
    @Roberto-REME 3 роки тому +1

    You did an outstanding job of producing and narrating this video. Great knowledge you shared and very well explained.

  • @selmabathory951
    @selmabathory951 3 роки тому +8

    THANK YOU !! Loved the content !! Since I was a child (without any knowledge) I always wondered why we assume that life must be similar chemically to what we find on earth, even later when I learned chemistry and biology I still couldnt understand why we still assume amino acids to be the base of ALL life forms. I agree it is the base of all life forms on earth but out there ? We have absolutely no clue, and couldnt really rule out the possibility of a non carbon based, amino acids based life form. So whenever someone talks about probabilities of life in the universe, I always correct them and say that he is only talking about amino acids based, similiar to earth's life form and that he is not accounting all of the life forms possible we have no clue could exist. This video was refreshing !! I subscribed right away !

  • @John-jc3ty
    @John-jc3ty 4 роки тому +92

    0:17 We often speculate about non carbon based life, but how realistic is that?
    (intro: dundun dun dun dun dundun dundun dun dun dun dundun)
    It isnt.
    (outro: dundun dun dun dun dundun dundun dun dun dun dundun)

  • @arkfish
    @arkfish 3 роки тому +2

    Wonderful visuals and a great explanation! Good job, Isaac, keep the awesome content up.

  • @onizerg4652
    @onizerg4652 3 роки тому

    This my first video from you and it was an instant sub at end. Love the content please continue.

  • @vorpalinferno9711
    @vorpalinferno9711 4 роки тому +9

    Why life would grow on Carbon as opposed to Silicon?
    Answer: "Due to molecular bonding its cheaper to run on Carbon"
    Meme quality material right there.

  • @DavidJones-tp7td
    @DavidJones-tp7td 4 роки тому +9

    Somewhere in the universe, some silicon based life forms are watching a video discussing the likelihood of carbon based life...

  • @lone-wolf-1
    @lone-wolf-1 3 роки тому +36

    Most comments are on the speaking. He speaks perfectly fine and clear for me (german). You should hear ME speaking wizz my heavy djörman accent - THEN you can complain (if you don’t mind being rude 😊)

    • @onyx4462
      @onyx4462 3 роки тому +2

      You’re talking to nobody like 90% of the other white knights assuming he’s getting bullied literally nobody’s complaining they just find it mildly annoying smh

    • @NT-sx2bd
      @NT-sx2bd 3 роки тому +1

      @@onyx4462 "smh" you wanna pretend like your dissapointed?! That's it, * *vores* *

    • @cadig6389
      @cadig6389 3 роки тому

      @@NT-sx2bd that's enough internet for one day

  • @gabriellazaro9819
    @gabriellazaro9819 3 роки тому

    Super interesting. Awesome video with really clear explanations on these concepts. Thanks for the upload!

  • @ianmcintire6696
    @ianmcintire6696 4 роки тому +80

    Hey, quick correction: Vernor Vinge’s name actually rhymes with “stingy” (as in “cautious with money,” not a descriptor for an angry bee), not “hinge”.

    • @iainballas
      @iainballas 4 роки тому +1

      Wait, I thought it was Hing-ee? Was I saying it wrong my whole life?

    • @Descanlin
      @Descanlin 4 роки тому +3

      @@iainballas "Hing-ee" sounds like how Ian is saying it would be pronounced, as 'stingy' is pronounced "stinj-ee."
      Like Hinge but with an E at the end :V

    • @cacogenicist
      @cacogenicist 4 роки тому +3

      Indeed. It's ['vIn dʒi]

    • @TheExoplanetsChannel
      @TheExoplanetsChannel 4 роки тому +2

      Oh

  • @AEHTSCH
    @AEHTSCH 4 роки тому +41

    This got me thinking : would we actually know if there was silicon based live in the earths mantle?

    • @mrnice4434
      @mrnice4434 4 роки тому +17

      Properly harder to get there then to visit Mars or Titan

    • @sylvia7961
      @sylvia7961 4 роки тому +9

      @@mrnice4434 much harder. we've only barely scraped the crust, meanwhile we have invested billions in space travel

    • @shanepowers7566
      @shanepowers7566 4 роки тому +4

      The act of minerals expanding, crystals growing, that perfect assimilation and compilation, borders on the requirements to be considered “life”.

    • @100videosandnosubscribers3
      @100videosandnosubscribers3 3 роки тому

      like Tremors

  • @BobHooker
    @BobHooker 9 місяців тому +1

    Issac, your work on this channel is truly impressive. Not only is the content brilliant and consistent but your speech has become extremely clear and if you had a speech issue you have clearly gotten over it. I want to thank you for how you have added to my own life by producing this wonderful content and I hope you keep it up.
    You are a personal hero of mine. I point to you as an example that the Internet can create positive culture and can help people to be better.
    In a Internet cluttered by pimps and neo-fascists you are a real and rare ray of light. Thank you so very much for doing this for us. We are all better for you.😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

  • @illiteratethug3305
    @illiteratethug3305 3 роки тому +1

    This is such a great channel, I love sitting down with a cup of tea to watch your videos :)

  • @philipwacker4629
    @philipwacker4629 4 роки тому +3

    This makes me appreciate life, our lifes time, and our access to information and progress in science so much. It also makes my brain wander into fantastic worlds and forget all these heavy topics in my own life. This channel is golden! This episode was mind blowing. Thank you!

    • @IR-xy3ij
      @IR-xy3ij 4 роки тому +1

      The scientific info on this channel is somewhat questionable, especially the discussion of silicon compounds in general. It is worth pointing out that structural analogues are not functional analogues and it is simply not chemically comparable to carbon.

  • @camicus-3249
    @camicus-3249 4 роки тому +4

    21:52 I don't think I've ever seen something so disturbing and friendly at the same time

  • @yardswithstripesinc1042
    @yardswithstripesinc1042 3 роки тому

    One of my brothers speaks like issac. I didn't even realize "experts" classified it as a speech impediment till reading comments here.
    I just figured it was the way my brother spoke (and issac once i found his videos) Easy to understand. Easy to listen to.
    Shrug, my vote is keep it the way it is Isaac.

  • @jeremygonzal8603
    @jeremygonzal8603 3 роки тому +2

    I can't get over how much your diction has improved. Very inspiring!

  • @St34mPunkPrivateer
    @St34mPunkPrivateer 4 роки тому +5

    Great episode, I was waiting for this for a long time! As a lot of sci fi tends to make non carbon based life a glowing ball of stuff, or humanoid in appearance. Its kind of cool to wonder what it would be made of and what it might look like, and how we would interact with it. I now I have 3 more books to pick up. btw the background music with the female vocal in the background was great.

  • @Kurai_69420
    @Kurai_69420 4 роки тому +259

    Last time I was this early this joke was funny.

    • @joethestrat
      @joethestrat 4 роки тому +28

      You get one like for the meta, but don't get carried away...

    • @The_Crimson_Fucker
      @The_Crimson_Fucker 4 роки тому +8

      Last time I was this early I was possessed by the gene-memory of my great ancestor Nuatl Hamun - he who fixes the bicycles.

    • @lst1nwndrlnd
      @lst1nwndrlnd 4 роки тому +5

      @@The_Crimson_Fucker You get one like for the Bike, But don't get carried away...

    • @delirium1643
      @delirium1643 4 роки тому +5

      Jokes on you it never was

    • @byronmartin5969
      @byronmartin5969 4 роки тому +1

      Elmer fudd.

  • @MrBeanbones
    @MrBeanbones 3 роки тому +2

    There's two key aspects that must be taken into account, one is transport of matter (either for energy or construction of tissues) the other is ionization that's needed for gathering energy, transmission of signals and energy conversions. Any naturally formed life need to work on it's medium, ionizing atoms or molecules immersed in it, that's quite difficult for a cryogenic lifeform as it would have way less energy, and that would limit the number of possible chemical reactions.

  • @TheCharizard789
    @TheCharizard789 3 роки тому +2

    Awesome video thanks!

  • @Andrew-fn9oc
    @Andrew-fn9oc 4 роки тому +10

    13:00 I like the Stellaris Soundtrack btw

  • @rabbitsfoot8
    @rabbitsfoot8 3 роки тому +4

    This is my biggest beef with the way we search for alien life...our understanding of life is limited to 1 planet.

    • @MrMegaMetroid
      @MrMegaMetroid 3 роки тому +1

      But why are you not happy with the way we search for life? We specifically look for things we know for sure can turn out life, but still pay attention to things we find along the way, that could yield alternative forms of life. Thats literally the most effective way of looking for life. Or would you rather we look for something if we dont even know what it is we are looking for, and blindly turn around every single rock individually instead of specifically targeting those that already look promisin? Would you rather we had no tactic at all and just look at everything? Thats a waste of our very limited ressources, and definately a waste of money

    • @rabbitsfoot8
      @rabbitsfoot8 3 роки тому

      @@MrMegaMetroid i love the fact we search for it just not sure we're doing it very well was my point...good response

  • @prototropo
    @prototropo 3 роки тому +2

    Incredibly erudite presentation! Thank you sooo much. This reminds me of the great biologist Nick Lane and his book “Life Ascending.”

  • @Menzobarrenza
    @Menzobarrenza 7 місяців тому

    Incredibly well-done and informative video.
    Subscribed.
    P.S. Genuinely enjoy listening to your manner of speech.

  • @thorodinson5235
    @thorodinson5235 3 роки тому +4

    Love this narration! Keep it up dude!

  • @stuckinaconstant7132
    @stuckinaconstant7132 4 роки тому +475

    No one:
    This guy: "öærth"

    • @pslightlysychotic6115
      @pslightlysychotic6115 4 роки тому +85

      He clearly has a speech impediment. Dont be rude man.

    • @nickv.3573
      @nickv.3573 4 роки тому +10

      @King Rooster how is that funny lol

    • @nickb1762
      @nickb1762 4 роки тому +37

      no one:
      simpleton meme format dude: simpleton meme format

    • @gotworc
      @gotworc 4 роки тому +4

      bruh come on now

    • @givememoney8985
      @givememoney8985 4 роки тому +4

      You act like a 12 year old

  • @sienielain9222
    @sienielain9222 Рік тому +1

    This video was really helpful for my scifi short stories!
    I like to add these exotic forms of life in them.

  • @joshloschen1653
    @joshloschen1653 3 роки тому +1

    I wish I'd watched this before dropping out of a university chemistry major. Chemistry and astronomy really are linked and how the 2 interact really are fascinating.

  • @Amiculi
    @Amiculi 4 роки тому +38

    "So you might have some amusing equivalent to wax dolls as a lifeform somewhere."
    I know you have a speech impediment but I've never heard "horrifying" mispronounced as "amusing".

    • @kevincrady2831
      @kevincrady2831 4 роки тому +10

      On the other hand, the poor wax-doll critters would likely consider us to be Grade-A Nightmare Fuel. Just imagine what a candle would be from their point of view, and how terrifying would be the idea of a human casually lighting and holding such a thing, and using it as a light source.

    • @VainerCactus0
      @VainerCactus0 4 роки тому +2

      @@kevincrady2831 Yeah, even us just breathing on them could be warm enough to start melting them, which would probably be painful to them.

    • @alexkennedy4990
      @alexkennedy4990 4 роки тому +2

      @@kevincrady2831 I mean... Humans make some of our candles out of animal fat, it's about the same thing.

  • @eyesontheinside5776
    @eyesontheinside5776 2 роки тому +6

    what about non-carbon cringe life?

  • @universalparadoxes2081
    @universalparadoxes2081 3 роки тому +1

    A fantastic vid. Well explained. Keep up the great work. :)

  • @petegarvey9224
    @petegarvey9224 3 роки тому

    Fascinating and ultimately uplifting: very welcome in these difficult times. Many thanks.I think sulphur has also been suggested as a basis.