• Question: Why is water so essential to life? Why can't species adapt to a different substance?

    Asked by to Emily, Jemma on 27 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Emily Hayward

      Emily Hayward answered on 27 Jun 2014:

      Great question.

      Our bodies are designed/ adapted to require water along with every other organism. We are made up of over 50% water and are very reliant on it. Scientists have investigated if life could exist without water and discovered we aren’t as we are so dependent on it…..in the same way as we need food and energy.

    • Photo: Jemma Rowlandson

      Jemma Rowlandson answered on 27 Jun 2014:

      Hi!

      Liquid water is very essential to life on Earth because that’s how we evolved. It took billions of years to go from a bacteria to humans and all the animals and plants on Earth today. It all came from atoms reacting in liquid water to form bigger and bigger molecules and eventually life. Life could adapt to something else but it would take billions of years to do so.

      Scientists actually think there could be life on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Titan has no liquid water but it does have lakes of liquid methane and ethane. It is possible that there are life forms based on methane and ethane, instead of water! Just because all life on Earth is based on water does not mean that all life has to be.

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