11-16-2018, 10:08 AM
Given the figures you put forward, it ought to mean that life on such a world would have roughly the same energy budget as ours - albeit with four times the material throughput. One thing that might help is that hydrogen diffuses a lot better than oxygen does.
One thing I don't know about is any hydrogen carrier system comparable to haemoglobin/haemocyanin (Earthly organisms use both).
On top of all that, if the energy requirement is lower then perhaps it works with lower-energy photons, so a hydrogen cycle would be favoured on a planet of a cool star?
In any case, we may actually be able to check. Titan has significant levels of hydrogen and methane.
One thing I don't know about is any hydrogen carrier system comparable to haemoglobin/haemocyanin (Earthly organisms use both).
On top of all that, if the energy requirement is lower then perhaps it works with lower-energy photons, so a hydrogen cycle would be favoured on a planet of a cool star?
In any case, we may actually be able to check. Titan has significant levels of hydrogen and methane.