> I'd think that a self replicating life form will need something to carry it's program, Well yes, for sure, a replicator needs some sort of 'program', and if

> I'd think that a self replicating life form will need something to carry it's program, Well yes, for sure, a replicator needs some sort of 'program', and if you go for carbon+water, amino acids are a good bet. > and this is what DNA is Yes, on Earth. But the actual horrendously weird and complex molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid is not the only way of implementing such a program. Check out a text such as 'How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology', by Philip Ball to see why I'm being picky here.