In its pure state and depending on how its atoms are arranged, this element can form both the hardest mineral found in nature, diamond, and one of the softest, graphite. Organized in hexagons and forming sheets, the carbon atoms give rise to graphene , a material that everyone has heard of for its “incredible” mechanical and electrical properties: it is a transparent material, extremely hard but flexible, elastic and light, with high thermal and electrical conductivity, it heats up little when conducting electrons (less Joule effect), and has self-healing capacity.
The basic element of life
But, as if this were not enough, carbon is the element on which life is based .
The chemical properties of carbon allow this element to join with a large number of different atoms to form huge and complex molecules. In fact, the chemistry of carbon is so varied that it is capable of forming more chemical compounds than the rest of the elements in the periodic table put together. That is why it is not surprising that there is organic chemistry, also called carbon chemistry, a branch of this science that is dedicated to studying only the compounds that carbon forms.
Organic compounds are those that contain carbon and hydrogen, and other elements, the most common being oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and halogens. Among the major types of organic compounds on which life is based are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The simplest organic molecule that exists is methane.
Complex machines
On the other hand, living beings are very complex machines with bodies that need to perform a large number of tasks just for the mere fact of existing: our cells are constantly converting sugars into energy, deciphering and producing genetic material, transmitting information from a side to side, absorbing and processing nutrients, keeping vital systems working … In short, the body performs a lot of different processes at the same time, so it needs a great variety of different chemical compounds that, on top, are compatible with each other, to be able to carry them out.
In other words, as far as we know, carbon is the only element that is capable of supplying a complex organism with the chemical diversity it needs to exist.
That’s why astrobiologists – scientists who study how life might develop elsewhere in the universe – believe that intelligent life is more likely to be found on other planets if it is based on carbon. That is, they do not do it simply “because they are closed-minded and do not admit other possibilities” : carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe and is present in the planets to a greater or lesser extent, so it is reasonable to assume that intelligent life will tend to evolve from it.
And, of course, when you have in your hands the possibility of conducting an experiment that costs millions to develop, you will direct your investigation towards the most reasonable possibility.
