Assume that you are employed as a developmental biologist at NASA and the first returning mars...

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Biology

Assume that you are employed as a developmental biologist atNASA and the first returning mars explorer was found to have asmall organism from mars onboard. The organism had the usualhead-tail axis as well as dorsal-ventral polarity and what appearedto have right-left asymmetry. However upon analysis it was found tobe composed of silicon based compounds and had no DNA, RNA orproteins at all. Discuss reasons why this organism would havesimilar developmental controls to those of earthâ€™s carbon-basedlife and also discuss the opposing view as to why it would not.

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ans Indeed carbon and silicon share many characteristics Each has a socalled valence of fourmeaning that individual atoms make four bonds with other elements in forming chemical compounds Each element bonds to oxygen Each forms long chains called polymers in which it alternates with oxygen In the simplest case carbon yields a polymer called polyacetal a plastic used in synthetic fibers and equipment Silicon yields polymeric See Answer

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