That's right Mr Jack. That is one thing that is true. Even the archaea are LAWKI. We are all cousins.
Yes, and no.
No - When Hyperthermophiles were first discovered, they were a big shock to the biological community, no-one had any idea that life like that could exist. They work on energy channels fundamentally different to those in the everyday life we see around us, they can survive in conditions previously thought to be fatal to all forms of life.
Yes - They are carbon based, they do use DNA/RNA, and have many other similarities. So, as you correctly state, we are cousins.
I was not suggesting that they represented a complete non-LAWKI, but they do demonstrate that life can exist in very different ways to originally suspected. Hyperthermophiles could live on a great many more planets that more 'traditional' organisms.
-Edit-: Also note that, by definition, all life we know about is LAWKI.
[This message has been edited by Mr Jack, 11-05-2003]