Why is water an universal solvent?

Here is an explanation from the United States Geological Survey. (Click on the link.) You must not say "an" universal solvent. The indefinite article "an" is used before words which start with a vowel sound. Although universal starts with the letter "u" which is vowel, the sound used when pronouncing the word universal is the sound of a "y." One says "you-nih-ver-sal." Therefore, you would say a universal solvent.

The USGS link is rather an Earth centric position. The Universe has many varieties of liquid and gaseous solvents, water being just one. For known carbon based Life, it works well. However, on other worlds perhaps NH3 is the best solvent. The Doctor is the best resource since he has traveled the most around our Galaxy. Actually, Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson might be better, since he is more accessible.

I've thought about ammonia as a life solvent--it's not quite as polar as water so it's a better solvent for aliphatic organics. I also remember a cartoon in OMNI from the 70's that pictured an alien crawling across a desert captioned with ammonia, ammonia.

Even more interesting is just to consider other binary possibilities. Silicon instead of carbon, plasma flops---

The discovery of non human intelligence is going to become ever more important---after all we are just beginning to recognize non-human intelligence on this planet.

We are, after all, just an amazingly arrogant moderately intelligent monkey.

Rap

Tequilla is the best solvent. I've personally tested it many times. Add lime and some NACl. Cheers!

I prefer bourbon.

Rap