Not really qualified to answer you, but I commonly read that it boils down to carbon being the base for life on earth, because that material can form complex bonds with so many other elements, without requiring much energy to do so. No other element seems to come close, though another contender is silicon. But if we assume carbon as the base component of other life, we also have to assume similar ranges of temperature etc. for it to thrive.
And from that liquid water is an essential part to all known life on earth. The temperature range needs to be similar to that of Earth for water to exist on the surface.
