Indeed, carbon-based life is the only known form of life, and carbon has features that make it uniquely suitable as the basis for complex chemistry and life. For instance, carbon is essential for forming sufficiently stable, long, chain-like molecules capable of storing and processing genetic information. Carbon also combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide in essential chemical reactions. Carbon dioxide is a gas, so it can easily escape cells as waste and readily mix throughout the biosphere. In contrast, silicon dioxide is a solid (familiar to us in the form of sand), and it cannot
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