Carbon chauvinism is a neologism used to dismiss the theory of the universality of water-carbon life in view of the exceptional chemical and thermodynamic properties of carbon , which make it much more preferable than all other elements. The author of the term, astrophysicist Karl Sagan , criticizing this point of view, suggested that the basis for her nomination is only the fact that her adherents themselves are composed of carbon and water and absorb oxygen in the process of metabolism.
“Carbon chauvinism” is based on the assumption that alien life , if it exists, should be similar to earthly life - in particular, that the molecules responsible for vital chemical processes must be constructed primarily from carbon [1] .
However, as that never met another life that evolved beyond the earth’s environment, it can be difficult for human beings to imagine a fundamentally different biochemistry .
Carl Sagan wrote about this and other human chauvinisms that limit the assumption of a possible alien life in his book Cosmic Connection in 1973 [2] .
In 1999, in an article in Reason magazine, Kenneth Silber , discussing the theory of a perfectly arranged universe , cited, using the term, astrophysicist Viktor Stanger [3] :
There is no reason, Stanger says, “to suggest that there is only one possible type of life” - we know too little about life in our own universe, not to mention the “other” universes, to come to this conclusion. Stinger condemns as "carbon chauvinism" the assumption that carbon is required for life; other chemical elements - such as silicon - can also form molecules of considerable complexity. In addition, Stinger runs the risk of assuming that it is “molecular chauvinism" to consider molecules necessary at all; in a universe with different properties, atomic nuclei or other structures could be assembled in completely unfamiliar ways.
Original textThere is no good reason, says Stenger, to "assume that there's only one kind of life possible" - we know far too little about life in our own universe, let alone "other" universes, to reach such a conclusion. Stenger denounces as "carbon chauvinism" the assumption that life requires carbon; other chemical elements, such as silicon, can also form molecules of considerable complexity. Indeed, Stenger ventures, it is "molecular chauvinism" to assume that molecules are required at all; in a universe with different properties, atomic nuclei or other structures might assemble in totally unfamiliar ways.
Criticism of the term
Despite the rapid development of chemistry, at the moment, science does not know compounds that are comparable in complexity to organic , based on other elements. At present, there are about 100,000 inorganic compounds known to science, while more than 8,000,000 are organic compounds, and about 300,000 more are opened every year [4] . Moreover, the number of different configurations of biological molecules — in particular, proteins — is extremely large [5] and practically unlimited [6] . No other element, including silicon, phosphorus or boron, can give such a variety of substances as carbon [7] ; this is especially true for large molecules critical for organic life, such as DNA and proteins [8] .
See also
- Anthropocentrism
- Chemical evolution
- “ They are made of meat ”
- CHNOPS
- Alternative biochemistry
Notes
- ↑ Darling, David Carbon-based life . Encyclopedia of Life. Date of treatment September 14, 2007. Archived March 3, 2012.
- ↑ Sagan K. The Cosmic Connection. - Anchor Books (Anchor Press / Doubleday), 1973 .-- S. 47.
- ↑ Silber, Kenneth Is God in the Details? . Reason Magazine (1999). Date of treatment September 14, 2007. Archived March 3, 2012. Full article
- ↑ Jim Stamell. Forensic Chemistry // Excel HSC chemistry. - Pascal Press, 2008 .-- P. 261. - 428 p. - ISBN 978-1-74125-299-6 .
- ↑ Shawn Doonan. The Covalent Structures of Peptides and Proteins // Peptides and proteins . - The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2002. - P. 16. - ISBN 0-85404-692-5 .
- ↑ Aseev V.V. The course "Molecular basis of vital processes" . Archived March 3, 2012.
- ↑ Volkenstein M.V. The Crossroads of Science. - M .: Nauka, 1972. - S. 126. - 336 p.
- ↑ Committee on the Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems, Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life, National Research Council; The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems ; The National Academies Press, 2007.