"Right students. Today I will introduce you to Biothaumtic Studies and its syllabus for the first semester."
She scribbles a rough outline on the whiteboard in front of the class while explaining.
"This is your syllabus class. I expect you all to memorize it and its principles. Starting off. We will cover 6 main topics with a total of 18 sub topics in these 6"
"Please open up your textbooks to the syllabus overview if you wish. But your first topic and the one I will teach today is Cell Structures, being the foundation of all life no matter the element."
Huh? No matter the element? Oh…
"As you know, Carbon is a primary component of all known mammals. We humans fall under this category as 45-50% of our dry biomass is founded by carbon. However, we will study the lifeforms that have the primary components of Silicon, Ammonia, Sulfur, Boron and Plasma as well."
No way… that's… thats…. That's awesome as hell, what the hell? A world where carbon is not the only basis of life. Rather, a planet where life forms alien yet foreign have been studied and dissected already? Fuck, my scientist nerdy ass is getting too excited.
"Alongside this, you all know that organisms are composed of cells. Knowledge of the structure and function of cells underpins much of Biothaumtic while the fundamental differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are explored and provide useful biological background for the topic on Infectious diseases, a later topic we will learn."
"Learn that viruses are introduced as noncellular structures, which gives you the opportunity to consider whether cells are the basic unit of life. Please use this as your evaluation during the exams."
Professor Ilsa claps her hands sharply, the sound cutting through the murmurs of the classroom.
"Anyways, students." Her voice carries an edge of authority, yet there's a spark of enthusiasm beneath it. "Today marks your formal introduction to Biothaumic Studies—and the syllabus for your first semester."
With swift, precise strokes, she scribbles a rough outline onto the whiteboard, her marker squeaking faintly as she speaks.
"This is your syllabus. Memorize it. Internalize its principles." Her gaze sweeps across the room, ensuring every student feels the weight of her expectation. "We will cover six core topics, each branching into eighteen subtopics. If you wish to follow along, open your textbooks to the syllabus overview—but pay attention. Your first lesson begins today."
I flip my tome to the syllabus overview. For my first semester, I'll be learning:
Topic 1: Foundation of Life and Cell Structures
Topic 2: Biological Molecules
Topic3: Enzymes
Topic 4: Cell Membrane and Transport
Topic 5: The Mitotic Cell Cycle
Topic 6: Nucleic Acid and Protein Synthesis
She underlines a heading with a decisive flick of her wrist.
"First topic. Foundation of Life and Cell Structures—across the element."
Huh? across the element?
A beat of silence hangs in the air before she continues, her lips quivering slightly, as if amused by the unspoken question.
"You're familiar with carbon-based life, of course. It's the basis of all known mammals—humans included. Forty-five to fifty percent of our dry biomass is Carbon. But carbon is not the only architect of life."
Her voice drops,
"In this class, you will study organisms founded from Silicon, Ammonia, Sulfur and Boron"
No way.
A thrill shoots through me. That's… that's insane.
Yithra, is a planet where carbon isn't the sole foundation of life? Where alien biologies—exotic, unfathomable—have already been cataloged, dissected and understood? My pulse kicks up.
Holy shit. This is real science—no, beyond science. This is something else entirely.
Professor Ilsa continues,
"You know that organisms are built from cells. But Biothaumics demands more than rote memorization—it requires you to question." She taps the board. "The differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells aren't just academic; they're the bedrock of understanding infectious diseases, a topic we'll explore later."
Then, with deliberate slowness, she adds:
"And remember—viruses defy categorization. They are noncellular. So ask yourselves: Are cells truly the basic unit of life?" Her eyes gleam.
"That, students, will be your evaluation in your exams on this topic. Think about it."
I never personally found biology interesting as I was more focused on the "magic" that was physics and math. However, if you just introduce five more branches of evolution for me to study and eventually one day meet. Fuck yeah.
"Date: 25.5.2000. Today we will learn Sub-Topic 1.1: Different Elements as the Building Block of Living Organisms"
The notebook's pages crisp beneath my fingers as I flip to a fresh sheet, pen poised. Biothaumics. The word alone thrums with possibility. Today, the universe expands.
Professor Ilsa stood at the front of the lecture hall, her piercing gaze sweeping over the assembled students. The air hummed with anticipation. She picked up a piece of chalk and scrawled a single word across the blackboard:
"WHY?"
The class shifted uneasily.
"Why elements?" she said, her voice low and deliberate. "Why do we assume that life—all life, everywhere—must be built from the same handful of atoms? Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen. The so-called 'CHON' quartet. The dogma of terrestrial biology."
She let the silence stretch, letting the weight of the question settle over them.
Then, abruptly, she turned and wrote four more words beneath the first:
"Because biology, like chemistry, is universal."
A murmur rippled through the room.
"But universal does not mean exclusive," she continued. "The elements are the alphabet of existence. Carbon is versatile—yes. It forms stable bonds, complex chains, delicate structures that can fold, unfold, replicate. But it is not alone."
She snapped her fingers, and her assistant brought in a large chart. A periodic table, but not the modern version I was familiar with. No this was the base sketch. A handful of elements pulsed with light: Silicon. Boron. Sulfur. Phosphorus. Metals. Even noble gases.
"Life is not a recipe," she said. "It is an emergent property of thermodynamics, information, and self-sustaining chemical systems. Given the right conditions—the right solvent, the right energy source, the right environment—almost any element can become the foundation of something alive."
She paused, then leaned forward, her voice dropping to a near whisper.
"Think about it. In the kingdom, life uses water as a solvent. But what if the medium is liquid ammonia? Liquid methane? Supercritical hydrogen? What if the energy source isn't sunlight, but geothermal heat, or ionizing radiation, or sheer kinetic force? Please turn to the next page."
I flipped through the pages of my textbook, the pages displayed a series of "alien" landscapes—a methane lake under a hazy orange sky, a volcanic rift glowing in the dark, a nebula on earth swirling with charged particles.
"The universe is old," Ilsa said. "Older than you can comprehend. And in all that time, across all those worlds, do you truly believe that only one type of chemistry stumbled upon self-replication? Only one arrangement of atoms learned to adapt?"
She let the question hang.
"Today," she said, "you will learn to see beyond the cage of carbon. You will study organisms built from silicon lattices, boron networks, ammonia jellies and sulfur chains. You will question whether 'life' even requires cells—or if plasma vortices in a star's corona might also think, might also hunger."
A slow, knowing smile curled her lips.
"Because if there's one thing the world loves, it is variety."
She turned back to the board and underlined the original question one final time:
"WHY?"
Then, beneath it, she wrote:
"Why not?"
The class erupted into whispers.
And in that moment, every student in the room understood:
This wasn't just a lecture.
It was the first step into a far, far larger world.