[tasmodevil44]

And of course,carbon-based life does have it's obvious disadvantages. Due to the fact that carbon atoms form relatively weak bonds with other atoms,organic molecules breakdown and deteriorate rather readily. This explains the fragility of life,and why living cells and tissues composed of large and complex molecules of protein and DNA are very easily damaged by radiation,oxidation and free radicals. Hence the natural aging process. (Ahh...if only my body was made of silicon chemistry. Then I could have the life expectancy of a 100 Million year-old chunk of granitic rock. LOLOL.. )

[shelanachium]

The point about bond-strength is that C forms bonds of roughly equal strength to itself and many other elements such as H, O, Cl etc.

Other elements tend to form much stronger bonds to the very abundant O than they do to themselves or H, so that complex reduced componds tend to be rapidly converted to oxide minerals (as with Si).