Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-4478703-20140329232552/@comment-34326521-20141009230132

Zenoseiya wrote: That makes about as much sense as saying "Don't conflate "sentient matter" with regular matter. They're not the same." Uh, yeah they are. Humans and rocks are both made of matter and thus have the same basic physical physical properties, such as atoms composed of protons and neutrons.

It does make sense, actually. Like you said, sound is a mechanical wave - not a physical thing. The difference between regular sound and sentient sound must be something that goes beyond that wave, or it wouldn't (couldn't) be sentient.

Zenoseiya wrote: That's ridiculous. While organic polymers would probably predominate on worlds with Earth-like conditions, it is highly unlikely that aliens would use DNA. Scientists have created completely new nucleic acids in laboratories that can carry out the same functions.

Just because they carry out the same functions doesn't mean they have the same properties. As I mentioned, carbon can bond with many elements in the periodic table. Assuming life to be a random process, carbon would stand a much better chance at being the element used in its makeup than any other known or theorized element.

Zenoseiya wrote: DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. RNA stands for ribonucleic acid. Any other nucleic acid would be called XNA, where X stands for something other than "deoxyribo-" or "ribo-." For example, "teroic pseudonucleic acid" or TNA.

How does this relate to your proposed name for the hypothetical Petrosapien equivalent of DNA?

Zenoseiya wrote: Carbon-based doesn't mean our bodies are composed mostly of carbon. It means the backbones of our biological macromolecules are carbon polymers. Saying that petrosapiens are silicon-based means that the backbones of their biological macromolecules are silicon polymers, not carbon polymers.

Good point.

Zenoseiya wrote: Diamonds are combustible only at 900 °C. That's the opposite of flammable (i.e. easily combusted).

Sorry. English is not my first language.

Zenoseiya wrote: Regardless, carbon polymers don't form crystals, as crystals are homogenous solid substances and polymers are not. Petrosapiens may be partially composed of diamond, but they can't use crystals to carry out recognizable biological processes like polymers can.

I was specifically referring to Pyronites when I gave the "diamond" example. Their "planet" is a star; that's more than enough heat to burn diamonds (or anything, really).

Zenoseiya wrote: The most heat-tolerant organisms discovered on Earth live at temperatures between 45 and 122 °C. Above that point DNA breaks down, as do all other organic molecules.

Not really. Some bacteria survive at temperatures higher than that, though they are unable to reproduce. DNA and other molecules break down at around 150 °C.

Zenoseiya wrote: The lowest temperature that a flame can be is 600 °C.

...What? Such a temperature would make it impossible to approach the flame's source, not to mention burn just about anything in sight. I highly doubt a match, for example, can reach temperatures higher than 100 °C... and I'm being generous with that number.

Zenoseiya wrote: As pyronites are based on molten rock instead of water they cannot possibly be carbon-based, as organic molecules dissemble at half that temperature. They cannot have DNA and probably use fluorosiloxane polymers.

I have no idea what those are.