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[ChairmanPoo]

Denser doesnt necessarily imply "more durable". IIRC silicon compounds are less stable than carbon ones. So they might in fact be less durable.

[Solifuge]

In a place in the cosmos where more heat or energy was readily available, that wouldn't be nearly as much of a setback. Much like a planet much colder than ours would make human life there much more difficult.

I still think people are thinking a bit small here, though. Talk of silicone "diode" brains is still discounting the fact that non-human "life" could very well lack any sort of brain or nervous system whatsoever. There are countless successful models for life on Earth, and life in the cosmos would only present more opportunities for even more bizarre "life" to emerge, which might not even have a body made of cells, let alone lungs, bones, or muscles.

[SolarShado]

We need to define "life", that is decide what is alive and what isn't.

But how can we hope to draw a line like that, especially where unheard-of biochemistry is on the field? AFAIK, it still hasn't been decided if viruses are truly alive or not.

I like the idea of silicon based creatures "living" beneath our feet (mantle, core, whatever), both as a sci-fi nerd and as a (IMHO) scientific thinker. I'm no chemist, but it seems plausible.

But could we ever observe them? Could they ever observe us? Is there the possibility of any interaction whatsoever?
I can't help but recall that some deep sea creatures, when brought to the surface, disintegrate (possibly an exaggeration, but that's what i recall hearing somewhere).

[Aqizzar]

I've been rereading this crap bit of science I got my impression of silicon from.  There's other theories of possible oddball life in the universe.  Silicon life that uses molten sulfur or sulfuric acid as a solvent.  Nitrogen or hydrocarbon based life that respirates with ammonia and methane.  Crystalline hydrogen in the cores of gas-giants that could theoretically serve as an information-storing matrix not unlike DNA.  Hydrogen/helium/magnetism analogues of biochemical processes in the corona of a star.  Or even naturally occurring nano-form life on the surface of a neutron star, where the intense gravity and nuclear forces screw up the laws of physics and individual atoms can function like whole molecules.

But could we ever observe them? Could they ever observe us? Is there the possibility of any interaction whatsoever?
I can't help but recall that some deep sea creatures, when brought to the surface, disintegrate (possibly an exaggeration, but that's what i recall hearing somewhere).

I think deep sea creatures disintegrate because they're built to live in stupidly-high pressure water, so they fall apart in open air.  But mantel-sphere creatures would have an even worse version of the same problem.  I'm not sure we could even recognize such a creature as a creature instead of an unusually orderly pattern of rock.  Since they wouldn't be able to perceive through the upper surface of "their" world (I can't even think of how perception would work in molten rock except by sonar and magnetism) they might not even know how space works.  For that matter, since their entire ecosphere would be composed of semi-fluid rock, they probably would never become anything like what we would call "intelligent", since there's nothing for intelligence to work with.  Fuck, I don't even know what a mantel-sphere food web could be composed of, except an endless sea of mindless autotrophs.

[Heron TSG]

One of the most efficient way of transmitting signals would be to have a silicon-gate (or germanium-gate, for even better efficiency) style neural network with trace amounts of arsenic. You could literally bias the PN junctions back and forth at over 1000 times per second, which would at least get close to a human brain, only with a lot less energy spent.

[Solifuge]

Speaking of undiscovered lifeforms on earth, I was reading NASA's photo-a-day, and found a page about The Bloop. It's extremely interesting to read about. Seems there are a lot of incredibly powerful sounds that seem like vocalizations made by something huge, that originate from deep under the oceans east of South America.

[Vester]

That's just a bunch of underwater whales singing "Louie, Louie".

[Jackrabbit]

That's just a bunch of underwater whales singing "Louie, Louie".

I have always believed this.

Also, is there in fact such a thing as an abovewater whale? Or are you merely messing with me again?

Why must you always mess with me?

[Sean Mirrsen]

They can briefly become abovewater, or permanently abovewaterize themselves, but then they remain that way for the rest of their life. Unless some crafty people drive in and push them back.

[Snall]

I'll just say this: Intelligence does not, and never has, conveyed morals or scruples or any of that crap.  Nor does high technology, the only thing that tech/power brings is the POSSIBILITY to be merciful without fear, that's the closest you can get without any other information.

[Vester]

That's just a bunch of underwater whales singing "Louie, Louie".

Also, is there in fact such a thing as an abovewater whale? Or are you merely messing with me again?

Yes.

[Bauglir]

-snip-

[Heron TSG]

When you think about it, isn't is preposterously unlikely that a blob of carbon and water could produce silicon-based logic boards that could then be used to convey thoughts through metal strings laid across the oceans?

Spoiler: Abovewater Whale (click to show/hide)

[Bauglir]

-snip-

[ChairmanPoo]

I still dont get how this sylicon thingie is supposed to work in neurons. Care to ellaborate?