Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-4478703-20140329232552/@comment-241978-20141009235151

Blaziken rjcf wrote: 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. If an organism has DNA then that organism is made of macromolecules composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous and Sulfur. All of that is matter. That organism cannot be considered a sound wave because sound waves are not matter.

Sonorosians are made of sound waves, not matter like we are. Thus, they cannot have any organic macromolecules that we have because those are matter. If sonorosians did have those then they could not also be made of sound waves because sound waves and matter are two different things.

This is basic logic. If A = A and B = B and A != B, then B != A.

Thus, whatever genetic information sonorosians use is not DNA.

Blaziken rjcf wrote: 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. Yes, but only in Earth-like conditions and not those that would be hostile to carbon macromolecules, such as high temperatures or radiation.

But that has nothing to do with what I said. As you've said English is not your first language, I'll rephrase myself:

While carbon-based life would probably predominate on worlds with Earth-like conditions, it is highly unlikely that aliens would use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) in particular to store their genetic information. Scientists have created completely new nucleic acids in laboratories that can fulfill the same functions, so it stands to reason aliens would use different nucleic acids than we do since they originated independently of us.

Blaziken rjcf wrote: How does this relate to your proposed name for the hypothetical Petrosapien equivalent of DNA? It was an example I thought up when I wrote it. Nucleic acids are molecules used to store genetic information. DNA and RNA are the nucleic acids Earth life uses, but life on other worlds would probably use different nucleic acids.

Blaziken rjcf wrote: 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. Thus, aliens with body temperatures above that cannot possibly use DNA.

Blaziken rjcf wrote: ...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. Strange as it may seem, candle flames do actually burn at temperatures in excess of 600 °C. You can read about here: http://www.pysanky.info/Chemistry/Candle_Flame.html

Blaziken rjcf wrote: I have no idea what those are. To put it simply, pyronites cannot have DNA because their body temperatures are too hot to support it. Their bodily fluids are molten rock and they are constantly on fire.