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Concept

Carbon chauvinism

A glowing yellow circle with the text "Carbon chauvinism" in white against a dark, smoky background symbolizes the concept of assuming extraterrestrial life must be carbon-based due to Earth's life forms.

A term of mild reproach within astrobiology, accusing researchers of assuming life elsewhere must be carbon-based simply because terrestrial life is. The accusation is fair as bias but weak as physics: no other element offers carbon's combination of bonding versatility, mid-range bond energies, and compatibility with liquid water. The chauvinists tend to win the argument while conceding they would happily be proved wrong.

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