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Why is one kind of atom, carbon, so important in biology

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Why is the element carbon so important to biology and why does its chemistry allow for the complicated chemistry involved in living systems.

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Carbon has unique chemical properties that allow it to combine with other elements in an extremely diverse network of combinations.

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Carbon is important in biology because it is one of the four elements (ie carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen) that make up 96% of the bulk of living systems. Carbon is also important because it can form chemical bonds with itself, making long ...

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