From GURPS: Space by Jon F. Zeigler and James L. Cambias
Ammonia could replace water as a
medium for life. Ammonia has a narrower
liquid temperature range than
water, so it would require a planet
with a very stable climate between -
108° Fahrenheit (-78° C) and -27° F (-
33° C). In that cold environment, it’s
possible for something like Terrestrial
nucleic-acid chains to function, or for
complex chains of nitrogen or carbon
and nitrogen to serve the same purpose.
Since complex nitrogen molecules
become highly unstable at liquid-
water temperatures, ammoniabased
organisms could be made of living
high explosive! (This does not
require the Explosive disadvantage,
however, because the temperatures
involved would kill the being
long before its molecules became
unstable.)
Ammonia-basedlife could conduct
photosynthesis if it evolved on a cold
Earth-type planet, or might tap the
heat differential between layers of a
gas giant world’s atmosphere. Such
creatures probably would not be oxygen-
breathers, since the chief source
of oxygen molecules for Earth-type
life (carbon dioxide) is a solid at
ammonia-life temperatures. Instead,
ammonia-based organisms might
breathe free hydrogen, either in a gas
giant atmosphere or liberated from
methane molecules on a cold
Terrestrial world.
Living creatures based on ammonia
should define their Temperature
Tolerance range as centered somewhere
between -100° F and -25° F;
they are not automatically Cold-
Blooded in the sense defined by the
disadvantage of that name, however.
Hydrogen-breathers may take the
disadvantage Fragile (Combustible) if
they spend lots of time in oxygen environments,
as their “air” can catch fire.
Since chemical reactions are slower at
ammonia temperatures, either a low
Basic Speed or Decreased Time Rate
might be appropriate.
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Last edited by Symmetric Chaos on May 26th, 2010 at 03:00 AM
there are some theories in astrobiology, however, that suppose because of how stable carbon bonds are, they might be required for the building blocks of life, similar to how it there very likely to be some type of "replicator", analogous to the gene, as that would be almost a universal necessity for the propogation of life.
I'm sure that is useless, as you said you wanted something specific, but I don't know chemistry well enough to help and wanted to make everyone hear my opinion anyways
so these creatures would need to wear bio suits with nitrogen to keep from blowing if they invade earth if they plan on being on the planet for more then a couple of hours?
also with coolant units to keep the temp from hoing above 100 F
Yes, their comfortable living temperature would be about the same as a very bad Alaskan winter storm. Mind you, GURPS is not an academic source they're writing for gamers so this is likely biased in favor of producing something that works (but if you already have ammonia based life then that shouldn't matter).
Looking at their citation in the back of the book I might check out Life Beyond Earth: The Intelligent Earthling’s Guide to Life in the Universe (Morrow, 1980) and WhatDoes a Martian Look Like? (Wiley, 2002) for a slightly more respectable sources.
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May 26th, 2010 02:48 AM
