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Question
If life as we know it didn't exist, could any other element replace nitrogen in DNA?
One of the greatest mysteries in astrobiology is to understand whether other forms of life could exist that do not use the same sort of genetic coding and the same set of proteins as we do. Most scientists agree that any life is likely to use carbon (which is unique in its ability to form complex compounds) and liquid water (which is the best medium to promote organic chemical reactions). The other so-called biogenic elements, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, also seem to be ideally suited for the complex organic chemistry that we associate with life, including the coding of genetic information in DNA. Thus probably nitrogen and phosphorus are also required, but we can't say for sure. In fact, until we find a life form that has had an independent origin from our own, we may never be able to understand fully the range of chemistry that might be possible within extraterrestrial life forms.
December 2, 2002
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