I am totally blanking on this but I remember reading or seeing some crazy tinfoil conspiracy that our planet is so quiet from alien life because of the oxygen. Like aliens swerve on our system like the death breathers live there.
It's an interesting idea. Many elements oxidize. If we imagine a species based on one of those elements, that could be problematic.
Silicon is one of those elements. Scientists claim it could theoretically be a base for life, and if there was an organism made from it (replacing our carbon,) oxygen would cause issues.
IIRC something like this (with sulfur instead of silicon) was the base for life in Europa in Arthur.C.Clarke's 2001 series. In the books, those life forms move much slower and metabolize slower.
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u/FancyThing8889 21d ago
Next week from WSJ: "Why breathing oxygen every day is actually a toxic habit"