Carbon is one of the building blocks of life on Earth.
Carbon is a key component of all known life on Earth, representing approximately 45-50% of all dry biomass... Complex molecules are made up of carbon bonded with other elements, especially oxygen and hydrogen and frequently also with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Carbon is abundant on Earth. It is also lightweight and relatively small in size, making it easier for enzymes to manipulate carbon molecules... It is frequently assumed in astrobiology that if life exists somewhere else in the universe, it will also be carbon-based... Critics refer to this assumption as carbon chauvinism. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-based_life]
And whether complex life forms are required to be based upon carbon or not, we know that carbon-based life is a thing.
And here's where it gets interesting. Carbon is fairly common in the universe, coming in as it does on the periodic table at number 6. Carbon is literally smeared across the milky way galaxy. See http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-28/milky-way-galaxy-contains-space-grease/9921076
We already know that the number of exoplanets being discovered is indicating that planetary systems around stars are not only not rare, but the norm - see https://exoplanets.nasa.gov
If you combine that with the high prevalence of carbon in the galaxy, it's a pretty sure bet that there is life out there.
And lots of it.
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Photo courtesy of pixabay.com
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