3 ms·

Well, chemistry has some pretty good evidence on which elements do and can exist. I don't think we'll be seeing unknown elements (sorry Mass Effect) any time so

Well, chemistry has some pretty good evidence on which elements do and can exist. I don't think we'll be seeing unknown elements (sorry Mass Effect) any time soon. And if they exist beyond what physics can currently detect, then the point is sorta moot.

raverbashing 8y ago
Not unknown periodic table elements, but new minerals, possibly formed in conditions not found in Earth, yeah
godelski 8y ago
Chemistry would suggest we've found all stable naturally occurring elements too. BUT I will say that there is extremely good evidence that there are plenty of unknown elements (I'd argue that every chemist agrees). Well, more accurately, elements we haven't created. Feynman says the limit is 137, but others think it is higher (relativistic limits). The thing is most of these are unlikely to be stable, though there are some predictions for stability in the 120's. But to be life, they would need to be stable. And it would be EXTREMELY odd for life to be made from non common and non naturally occurring elements. Even more odd to be from unstable ones.
- saagarjha 8y ago
  It's exceedingly likely that any new elements we discover will have half lives fractions of a second and not available anywhere in the universe other than the labs of civilizations at least as advanced as us. So there's almost no possibility that they play any role in alien life.
  - godelski 8y ago
    Well there are predictions of islands of stability[0] in the 120's (and further) because magic numbers[1]. But no one agrees on how stable those are (milliseconds or MUCH longer). And I do want to mention that I did suggest that these elements would need to be created in labs. >> Chemistry would suggest we've found all stable naturally occurring elements too. Because these elements are trans-uranium. IE: Man made. > So there's almost no possibility that they play any role in alien life. >> But to be life, they would need to be stable. And it would be EXTREMELY odd for life to be made from non common and non naturally occurring elements. Even more odd to be from unstable ones. Read "odd" as "highly unlikely and unexpected". I'm not really sure where we're in disagreement. Except for the island of stability part. But that's why I said >> most of these are unlikely to be stable, though there are some predictions for stability We don't know if they are stable or not yet. Because we haven't made them. And I am making ZERO claims that there are. But I am making claims that there are predictions of stability. Which is trivially verifiable. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_(physics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_(physics)

raverbashing 8y ago

Not unknown periodic table elements, but new minerals, possibly formed in conditions not found in Earth, yeah

godelski 8y ago

Chemistry would suggest we've found all stable naturally occurring elements too. BUT I will say that there is extremely good evidence that there are plenty of unknown elements (I'd argue that every chemist agrees). Well, more accurately, elements we haven't created. Feynman says the limit is 137, but others think it is higher (relativistic limits). The thing is most of these are unlikely to be stable, though there are some predictions for stability in the 120's. But to be life, they would need to be stable. And it would be EXTREMELY odd for life to be made from non common and non naturally occurring elements. Even more odd to be from unstable ones.

saagarjha 8y ago
It's exceedingly likely that any new elements we discover will have half lives fractions of a second and not available anywhere in the universe other than the labs of civilizations at least as advanced as us. So there's almost no possibility that they play any role in alien life.
- godelski 8y ago
  Well there are predictions of islands of stability[0] in the 120's (and further) because magic numbers[1]. But no one agrees on how stable those are (milliseconds or MUCH longer). And I do want to mention that I did suggest that these elements would need to be created in labs. >> Chemistry would suggest we've found all stable naturally occurring elements too. Because these elements are trans-uranium. IE: Man made. > So there's almost no possibility that they play any role in alien life. >> But to be life, they would need to be stable. And it would be EXTREMELY odd for life to be made from non common and non naturally occurring elements. Even more odd to be from unstable ones. Read "odd" as "highly unlikely and unexpected". I'm not really sure where we're in disagreement. Except for the island of stability part. But that's why I said >> most of these are unlikely to be stable, though there are some predictions for stability We don't know if they are stable or not yet. Because we haven't made them. And I am making ZERO claims that there are. But I am making claims that there are predictions of stability. Which is trivially verifiable. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_(physics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_(physics)