NASA Discovers Arsenic-based Life Form on Earth

[Karmic Spirit]

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/feat...mical.html

Quote:NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth.

Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components.

"The definition of life has just expanded," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington.
...
"We know that some microbes can breathe arsenic, but what we've found is a microbe doing something new -- building parts of itself out of arsenic," said Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA Astrobiology Research Fellow in residence at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and the research team's lead scientist. "If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected, what else can life do that we haven't seen yet?"

[spazito]

Wow! How exciting AND mind-blowing!

[There Is No Spoon]

(12-03-2010 10:02 AM)Karmic Spirit Wrote:  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/feat...mical.html

Quote:NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth.

Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components.

"The definition of life has just expanded," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington.
...
"We know that some microbes can breathe arsenic, but what we've found is a microbe doing something new -- building parts of itself out of arsenic," said Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA Astrobiology Research Fellow in residence at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and the research team's lead scientist. "If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected, what else can life do that we haven't seen yet?"

It was my understanding that the scientists artificially substituted Arsenic for Phosphorus in these microorganisms and that they continued to survive afterward, but I may be mistaken.

[pappy]

Quote:It was my understanding that the scientists artificially substituted Arsenic for Phosphorus in these microorganisms and that they continued to survive afterward, but I may be mistaken.

From what I have read they took a bacteria that is known to "tolerate" arsenic rich environments and put them into extremely phosphorus poor and arsenic rich environment. The only phosphorus was what was residual to the initial samples while massive doses of arsenic were added. A control group was set up using the opposite technique, a phosphorus rich and arsenic starved environment.

In each case the bacteria thrived and reproduced over multiple generations. The control group continued to use the phosphorus as it's DNA building block material while the experimental group managed to substitute the phosphorus with arsenic.

As yet the "HOW" question remains unanswered.

[sandnsea]

I saw a snippet of this on the news last night. Well I just went and got it because it was so good and I thought the biologist explained things in a way that was really easy to grasp. It's about 7 minutes.

[Cha]

(12-04-2010 01:46 AM)sandnsea Wrote:  I saw a snippet of this on the news last night. Well I just went and got it because it was so good and I thought the biologist explained things in a way that was really easy to grasp. It's about 7 minutes.

Thanks for the video, sandnsea.

[PoliticalTiger]

Arsenic-based life forms? They've been around for a long time, they're called Republicans.....

[There Is No Spoon]

(12-06-2010 10:57 PM)PoliticalTiger Wrote:  Arsenic-based life forms? They've been around for a long time, they're called Republicans.....

They certainly are toxic...