: What makes you think the Trow are silicon-based? They're
: made of clay, not sand. IIRC, clay is largely carbon.
: If they were silicon based, the wouldn't be able to
: survive in the same temperatures as humans. They'd
: need a much hotter environment.
Actually, clay is defined as a mixture of silicates, alumina and water. Some clays do contain organic material, but only because they're permeable enough to allow carbon compounds to sink in. When the Trow were created, to judge from the picture of their surroundings, there wasn't any organic life so the clays would have been completely inorganic. Also, the Trow were made of clay *and* stone. Also also, silica is an excellent thermal and electrical insulator, and Trow are more resistant to fire and lightning than almost any other corporeal unit. And I don't think anyone knows enough about hypothetical body chemistries to say with certainty what the minimum temperature is at which silicon-based life can live. After all, every year the discovery of some new bacterium living in Antarctica or miles underground forces us to widen the temperature band in which carbon-based life can live. But you're right, we know so little about Trow physiology that it's pointless for me to make any assertions. So I'm stopping. Wheee!
--SiliconDream
