Why is All Life Carbon Based, Not Silicon? Three Startling Reasons!

Rarity of an element on any given planet might differ. There might be the planets out there with Pb In abundance, so “people” there might be heavier than us.

Well articulated otherwise.

No, they don't just "happen to", they were designed that way.

Very interesting, thanks!

Try breathing out silicon dioxide. Case closed.

IF THERE WAS SILICON LIFE FROM SOME WHERE IT WILL BE LIKE TWICWE THE WEIGHT COMPARED TO CARBON.

Surprised Carbon in Earth is only 1 pc .
😅

Best explanation sir from india-karnaraka

life doesn;t chose which element to use as its backbone, it happened to be carbon which enabled the form of life we know on eart

As silicon, like in a crystal or a diamond, the incident light is totally
( or near totally) reflective internally which produces the sparkle.
Carbon though a precursor to the diamond reflects/ refracts the light.
This is one way of understanding the life existence based on carbon. When in due course the incident light of knowledge is trapped internally, without much regard to an external world, enlightenment happens.

Carbon mixes better with other atoms. For example, in Star Trek, the big difference with other alien species, is the basic primary mineral of that planet - Vulcan, which has a copper base, Klingons, which has manganese base; to which explains the color of the species bloods.

there may be a planet where silicon is the only choice..

Carbon black, black bad, we carbon, we black, we bad

Carbon is Lucifer. He is within all material life.
6 on the periodic table I’m js lol

Catenation and Tetravalency 😅😊

because silicon is for the computers? wasnt this obvious???

I'm sorry but at 0:10 the Amanita Muscaria is not even close to being the most poisonous mushroom, just the most recognizable, the Destroying Angel (same family if i'm not mistaken) is way more poisonous and it's just plain white. I know u mean no harm but that's low key misinformation about mushrooms and they deserve some more respect ❤

Life on Earth is exclusively carbon-based because carbon has a unique combination of chemical properties that make it exceptionally well-suited for the complex, dynamic chemistry required by life. Silicon, while often speculated about as an alternative (due to being in the same periodic table group), falls short in several critical ways under Earth-like conditions.
Key Advantages of Carbon

Versatile bonding: Carbon atoms form up to four strong, stable covalent bonds. They easily create long chains, branches, rings, and multiple bonds (double/triple). This enables millions of complex, stable-yet-reactive molecules (e.g., proteins, DNA, lipids, carbohydrates) essential for information storage, catalysis, membranes, and energy transfer.
Bond strength "Goldilocks" zone: C-C bonds are strong enough for stable structures at Earth temperatures but weak enough to break and reform easily during metabolism and replication. This supports dynamic "experimentation" in biochemistry.
Compatibility with water and oxygen: Carbon forms gaseous CO₂ (easy to exhale/inhale) and soluble compounds. Organic chemistry thrives in aqueous environments.
Abundance in accessible forms: Carbon is relatively abundant in the universe and available as CO₂, methane, etc., in atmospheres and oceans—not locked away in inert minerals.

Why Not Silicon?
Silicon shares some traits (four valence electrons, can form chains), but has major drawbacks:

Weaker self-bonding: Si-Si bonds are significantly weaker and less stable than C-C bonds. Silicon struggles with long chains or complex polymers; it doesn't form stable double/triple bonds as readily.
Strong preference for oxygen: Silicon forms extremely stable Si-O bonds (e.g., silica/SiO₂—sand/quartz). This makes silicon compounds inert and hard to metabolize. "Breathing" would produce solid waste (like exhaling sand), which is impractical for fluid-based life.
Reactivity issues in water: Silanes (silicon-hydrogen analogs) react vigorously with water, decomposing or forming insoluble precipitates. Earth's watery environment favors carbon.
Limited diversity: Silicon chemistry yields far fewer varied, stable compounds suitable for life's complexity. It's more "rock-like" and less flexible.
Abundance paradox: Silicon is hugely abundant in Earth's crust, but mostly trapped in silicates—unavailable for biochemistry. Carbon, though less common in the crust, is more accessible in the forms life needs.

In short, silicon-based molecules tend to be too stable (hard to break for energy/reactions) or too unstable (fall apart in water), lacking the balance carbon provides.
Could Silicon-Based Life Exist Elsewhere?
In non-Earth conditions—e.g., high-temperature, sulfuric acid solvents, or volcanic environments like Jupiter's moon Io—silicon chemistry might be more viable. Some research explores hybrid carbon-silicon possibilities or specialized roles for silicon. However, even optimistic assessments conclude pure silicon life is unlikely to match carbon's versatility, especially in water-rich, temperate worlds. Carbon's cosmic abundance and bonding flexibility give it a strong edge.
Life likely emerged where the most versatile chemistry was available, and carbon won out through natural selection at the molecular level. This doesn't rule out exotic biochemistries elsewhere in the universe, but for Earth and similar planets, carbon is the clear champion.

8:39 I believe the name of the molecule on the right is wrong? It’s a 2,2,5,5-tetrametylhexane

Well we r in a ice age, n silica is solid in low temp n psi, predeluvian opposire was the norm.

(00:26) it isn't oxygen (O = 21%), it is Nitrogen (N = 78%).

Cus carbon is tastier than silicone

I reco this vid to all my 1st time orgo students

The Kardashians lives are based on silicon though

Why does a physicist, successful as a physicist, have to produce so many video clips for YouTube? Is a physicist's earning power so limited that he must become a science-writer and video producer ? I notice that another physicist who is now a science writer and video producer, is also doing the same sort of work, but she, Sabine Hossenfelder. has not held a university chair over many decades, and she does have a husband. . I assume that Ash is a professor with tenure. She is still a young woman; Ash is in his maturity. Could the superiority of the public domain in Germany (healthcare, public transportation, pensions, etc) explain the difference?

Imagine being made of carbon but studying about it on a silicon chip

i know a rock human who would disagree with you

As an Class 10th Indian student, We are taught about this in our chemistry chapter 4, Carbon and it's compound and it's one of the most head banging chapter to understand but this helped me alot, I spent 5 days trying to understand this chapter but nothing was going in

AI generated video + 0:45 = DECEPTION ==> RUN AWAY !! 🤣

So why aren’t nitrogen bonds strong? I understand that with silicon, the outer electrons are further away from the nucleus, making silicon bonds weaker. But nitrogen has two electron shells, like carbon, so what’s the reason for nitrogen bonds being weak?

This was the best explained chemistry class I have had.

The most abundant element in earth is nitrogen not oxygen

On another planet, silicon-based lifeforms are probably making semiconductors out of carbon...

"The logic that nature chooses?"
Nature has no brains, so nature cannot choose.
You have brains, but you refuse to use them.

you didn't seem to explicitly mention that it is likely a silicon based life form would have to live in a reducing atmosphere, it would turn to stone in an oxidising atmosphere, but i skimmed through, so may have missed it.

for plant, the carbon is easy to transfer because it is carried in form of CO2.