All life on Earth - from microbes to elephants and us - is based on a single genetic model that requires the element phosphorus as one of its six essential components.
But now researchers have uncovered a bacterium that has five of those essential elements but has, in effect, replaced phosphorus with its look-alike but toxic cousin arsenic.
The discovery the door to that possibility and to the related existence of a theorized "shadow biosphere" on Earth - life evolved from a different common ancestor than all that we've known so far.
"Our findings are a reminder that life-as-we-know-it could be much more flexible than we generally assume or can imagine," said Felisa Wolfe-Simon, the young biochemist who led the effort after being selected as a NASA Astrobiology Research Fellow and as a member of the National Astrobiology Institute team at Arizona State University.
"If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected - that breaks the unity of biochemistry - what else can life do that we haven't seen yet?" she said.
The research, funded through NASA and conducted with samples from California's Mono Lake, found that some of the bacteria not only used arsenic to live, but had arsenic embedded into their DNA, RNA and other basic underpinnings.
"This is different from anything we've seen before," said Mary Voytek, senior scientist for NASA's program in astrobiology , the arm of the agency involved specifically in the search for life beyond Earth and for how life began here.
"These bugs haven't just replaced one useful element with another, they have the arsenic in the basic building blocks of their makeup," she said. "We don't know if the arsenic replaced phosphorus or if it was there from the very beginning - in which case it would strongly suggest the existence of a shadow biosphere." source -read more
A few news presentations on the conference
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If you go with Hoagland's thinking this is part of the lead up to disclosure in 2012. Getting people used to the idea that alien life can be quite different than life as we know it. Of course it also suggests that there could be life where previously it was thought that none could exist. It opens the possibility of ET existance closer to us.
Nowhere in the report does it claim that the bacteria is of E.T. origin, in fact it makes very clear that it originated 100% from earth. I suggest you amend the extremely misleading itro paragraph to this article.
You know! I'm not all, that impressed,with this scientific piece of news,although I agree that
it opens up the possibility of ET.
existance, a little closer!?
It depends on what level of thinking your on!...LIKE!
If you have seen something unworldly, OR you've been abducted!
Would this news meen much to you??
I can't just overlook these compelling reports,where its obvious,that ETs exist,but perhaps the scientists, DON'T!?
If it is TRUE, that ancient structures,on the moon, on mars, & what have you, are true! then they
didn't get there by themselves,did they? and if thats not true, then;
Hello!..Richard C.Hoagland!?
nice man!......?
Really NASA, so life in the universe may not always be an oxygen dependent carbon & water based life form. DUH! Anybody not a scientist would realise this is a realistic prospect. When will man realise we know nothing about the universe & that everything is open to possibilities of existence.
Its like any 'NEW' or 'discovered' life science revelation needs validation from NASA as well. Of all the agencies NASA should not be trusted. NASA is not an independent science forum. This is a highly politicized gov't organisation that works on secret defense projects, and has its own operative agendas.
Really NASA, life in the universe may not always be an oxygen dependent carbon & water based life form. DUH! Anybody not a scientist would realise this is a realistic prospect. When will man realise we know nothing about the universe & that everything is open to possibilities.
Its like any 'NEW' or 'discovered' life science revelation needs validation from NASA. Of all the agencies NASA should not be trusted. NASA is not an independent science forum. This is a highly politicized gov't organisation that works on secret defense projects, and comprimised agendas (sorry if this is a double post).
I haven't seen the NASA talk but I guess they didn't mention the Red Rain microbes which fell on Kerala, India in 2001. Apparently these don't have any DNA at all. These microbes didn't fall in NASA's backyard so they probably forgot to notice it. A recent paper has just come out showing that these microbes can reproduce at 121C.
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1008/1008.4960.pdf
According to the WattsUpWithThat blog, this NASA claim is highly dubious due to faulty science and poor peer review. See blog entry:
Arsenic and post-haste: another example of the broken peer review process turned “science by press release”
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/12/07/arsenic-and-post-haste-another-example-of-the-broken-peer-review-process/#more-29044
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