Where there is a will there is a way, and in the deep sea, there is a will...

Deep in the dark water, at a pressure high enough to easily cook and crush our body, life still seems to find a way to thrive. The deep sea is a cold dark scary place in our minds, but life has amazing ways of surviving, and within the deep of the ocean of Nova Terra, a whole alien world lives. But to dive into the fascinating story of the dawn of life, we have to know the ideal and basic conditions.

WHAT IT TAKES TO FORM LIFE?

Living Organisms are formed by complex chemistry. We are nothing but huge packages of chemicals. Certainly, there are some ideal conditions of chemistry for life to form. The exact recipe is still a mystery, but the ingredients of life are simple - Liquid Water, The Fantastic Chemistry and Energy. 

Liquid water tops the list of ingredients for life. In gases, atoms move past each other very fast. So, they can't hitch up. In solids, they are stuck and can't move. But in liquids, they can link up to form molecules. These molecules can dissolve in water to form more complex chains. Water dissolves nutrients for organisms to eat, transports important chemicals within living cells, supports metabolism, and allows those cells to get rid of waste. Some of the important characteristics of liquid water as a solvent include a large dipole moment, the capability to form hydrogen bonds, stabilize macromolecules, orient hydrophobic–hydrophilic molecules, etc. 

Along with water, life as we know it also needs a certain great diversity of heavy chemical elements – the building blocks of life – including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur. These elements are common in the universe and make up 98% of living matter on Earth by combining them to form organic molecules essential to life. 

The third ingredient for life is energy. All lifeforms need energy to survive. On Earth, most of that energy comes from the Sun. For example, plants grow and thrive through photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight into energy. The energy is transferred to humans, animals, and other organisms when the plants are eaten. 

But in our Nova Terra, the story is a bit more amazing!

The Aquarium contains hypothetical examples of life forms of Nova Terra, known as Terranix- A blend of "terra" and "phoenix," from an idea of rebirth or evolution in a new world. Here are some examples from seemingly infinite sets of possibilities of exotic biochemistries - unlimited by imagination but limited by the same laws of Nature - emerged under the extreme.

Microbes (Extremeophiles)

Microbes are hardier, more adaptable and widespread. While many organisms gain their nutrients directly from the surrounding environment, some chemosynthetic microbes enable entire ecosystems to thrive in environments where traditional energy sources are scarce. Without them, the delicate balance of life in these ecosystems would be disrupted, leading to cascading effects throughout the food web.  Like stromatolites on Earth, layers of microbes could build up into huge rock mounds over time. They could leave distinct biosignatures by exhaling gases that don't coexist naturally, like methane and obviously, oxygen through Chemosynthesis. There can even be tiny RNA-based such lives. They are the primary producers in their food web and are eaten by larger animals. 

Despite our eager imagination, large complex life forms are probably a cosmic rarity. And in Nova Terra, they can be both based on the false twins - silicon based or carbon-based. Silicon bonds are weaker and less prone to forming large, complex molecules. Despite this, they show intriguing possibilities as research shows. 

"They would be more resistant to the extreme cold, providing a whole new range of weird forms." - Carl Sagan

In the presence of oxygen, they bind into solid rocks. But they can be confined in oxygen-free and chemosynthetic environments like our planet Nova Terra triggering more dynamic biochemistry. They can offer ultra slow metabolisms and life cycles of even millions of years. 

Terramorph

The Terramorph is an intriguing humanoid species native to the depths of the oceanic ecosystem of Nova Terra. These creatures have evolved in an environment characterized by extreme pressures, complete darkness and beyond sunlight, relying instead on chemosynthesis for their energy needs. They possess semi-translucent skin that varies in color from deep blue to bioluminescent greens. The skin contains specialized characteristics to change color for communication and camouflage(disguise that makes them blend in with their surrounding) and give protection against the crushing pressures. They have four limbs with special structures to help them navigate through the ocean. Their hands are dexterous, capable of manipulating objects with precision, while their feet are equipped with flippers that enhance their swimming ability. They have diverse sensory organs (e.g. eyes adapted for low-light vision) capable of detecting signals from other organisms. Instead of a mouth, they possess a series of filter-like openings that allow them to ingest nutrient-rich water, extracting microscopic organisms and dissolved minerals essential for their chemosynthetic processes. Their unique circulatory system utilizes a copper-based blood-like fluid, allowing efficient oxygen transport in their low-oxygen environment. Their digestive system is highly specialized, with symbiotic bacteria residing in their gut that convert chemosynthetic compounds from their surroundings into energy, much like some extremophiles on Earth. With no sunlight penetrating their ocean depths, they have developed the ability to harness energy from hydrothermal vents and other chemical sources. The extreme pressure of the ocean has led to their robust, flexible exoskeleton and streamlined body, not only minimizing energy expenditure but also maximizing their mobility in turbulent waters. The capacity for color change not only serves practical purposes, such as blending in with their environment to evade predators but also is used for expressing emotions and interactions and complex communication through color patterns. They have symbiotic relationships with chemosynthetic bacteria reflecting a deep evolutionary strategy to thrive in an ecosystem where traditional food sources are scarce. This relationship has influenced their internal structures and functions.

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