Silicon can't form double bonds or silicon-silicon bonds

@ebinmemes22 which is what I was going to explain until you interrupted me.

but were great at thinking something is impossible

until it happens

By what we've seen so far.

Silicon can't form long *and* stable chains needed for formation of proteins, and thus life.

This is why I keep on appending "maybe."

You *don't* need to be tree-climbing to develop hands. If anything, claws are better at that than hands.

If there were silicon based life, it would have to be very radically different to us

I know it's annoying, but that's the very core of science.

Also, evolution is... weird.

@retxirT actually, silicon would probably be fine in that regard

also i has this thought. could there be an “animal” that would in reality be a plant? could a plant develop limbs and basic organs for non-stationary life?

Still, carbon is better.

[X] *maybe* until it's proven otherwise.

Silicon-oxygen bonds are a thing, and proteins are built on carbon-nitrogen

@robert from kinoplex it'd be ridiculously hard, but not entirely impossible.

@robert from kinoplex no

No [2].

The definitions of “plant and animal” would, most likely, not even apply in life evolved on another world.

Those are earth concepts.

Precursors to Limbs would present no benefit to a plant

@Scale_e fuck off you pretentious twat

Unless if they were hybrids.

Seriously

(Which is why, to carry on with my previous note, "settled science" makes me foam at the mouth.)

something like this

The first lifeforms would always be photosynthetic

@robert from kinoplex highly unlikely.

Would they? How could you know that?

There would be clear distinctions and obvious types

Because it's that or nothing lol

Damnit, initial descent.

You could have algea around thermal vents too I suppose

If anything, they'd still look extremely plant-like, but have features that might be "animal-like."

Or, it might be on a planet where the first life gets its energy some other way.

Like a venus fly trap?

Because at the beginning there is nothing except atmosphere and light.

@Scale_e where from?

“It happened that way here, so it must have happened like that there.” Is extremely short sighted.
Where from? We can’t know. That’s the point.

Or that an exotic element is common.