Created in the image of God

CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
M.M.NINAN
somewhere else in the universe, it will also be carbon based. This assumption is referred to by critics
as carbon chauvinism.
Characteristics of carbon as a basis for life
The two most important characteristics of carbon as a basis for the chemistry of life are that it has four
valence bonds and that the energy required making or breaking a bond is just at an appropriate level
for building molecules which are not only stable, but also reactive.
The fact that carbon atoms bond readily to other carbon atoms allows for the building of arbitrarily
long complex molecules and polymers.
There are not many other elements which even appear to be promising candidates for supporting life -
for example, processes such as metabolism - but the most frequently suggested alternative is silicon.
This is in the same group in the Periodic Table of elements and therefore also has four valence bonds.
It also bonds to itself, but generally in the form of crystal lattices rather than long chains. Silicon
compounds are generally stable but do not support the ability readily to re-combine in different
permutations in a manner that would plausibly support lifelike processes.
The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur,
represents the six most important chemical elements whose covalent combinations make up most
biological molecules on Earth. Sulfur is used in the amino acids cysteine and methionine. Phosphorus
is an essential element in the formation of phospholipids, a class of lipids that are a major component
of all cell membranes, as they can form lipid bilayers, which keep ions, proteins, and other molecules
where they are needed for cell function, and prevent them from diffusing into areas where they should
not be. Phospholipids are also an essential component of nucleic acids.
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