O2 is a triplet state molecule, so it has huge kinetic barriers for reactions. > No alien species advanced enough to look at us would assume we’d burn just beca

O2 is a triplet state molecule, so it has huge kinetic barriers for reactions. > No alien species advanced enough to look at us would assume we’d burn just because we have 0.21 Po2 The fact that there is excess of a reactant really means that there is an ability for interesting reactions, and therefore life. Ash cannot be animate because it’s (basically) at ground level and does not have the free energy to do anything.