NASA report today. Can anyone explain the NASA findings to me in a nutshell?

[Kceres]

I'm pretty scientific literate but feel like I've missed something. Thanks in advance.

[sudopod]

1. They coaxed an extremophile from a very alkaline environment

into replacing pretty much all of it's phosphates with arsenates, which is pretty amazing considering all the places that they show up in life's chemistry!

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/12/its_not_an_arsenic-based_life.php

PZ tells it like it is. The science is pretty awesome, but people and the media got a little overwrought and NASA shouldn't have let expectations get so high. Still, it makes you wonder where else life could spring up, though.

[Kceres]

20. Thanks.

[Motown_Johnny]

22. I think it lives up to the hype

it is a major breakthrough (not that I am an expert by any means)


As I understand it, this is the first life form that we have ever seen that does not contain phosphate


The implication seems to be that other elements that were considered essential for life may not be essential at all.

[Gman]

2. It's possible for life to be formed in different ways than we previoiusly understood

which opens up a universe of possibilities for life on other planets, or other celestial bodies.

[villager]

3. they've proven there can be non-carbon based life, yes?

do I have that in a nutshell? :shrug:

[sudopod]

6. Not quite, but it's still neat!

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/12/its_not_an_arsenic-based_life.php

[Kceres]

17. Thanks for the link. I'll study more after dinner.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Yes

[Motown_Johnny]

23. No, not really

although it does open up a field of study which may someday come to that conclusion


Right now all they have done is replace phosphates with arsenates

[Gman]

18. There are several elements that all life is built with

they are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. But the newly discovered bacteria does not use phosphorus. It uses arsenic which was thought to be poisonous to all life on earth. Arsenic instead of phosphorus is the only difference but it is hugely significant. It now begs the question, what other elements can be used to build life that are not normally used on earth.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4638937

[Canuckistanian]

26. It's still carbon based

But the surprising part is that Arsenic (deadly toxic to most life forms) is replacing phosphorus as one of the building blocks for the new bacteria's DNA.

It was theorized as possible, but no one guessed it actually existed.

Non-carbon based life would be an ASTOUNDING find. Some say that Silicon could work, but it's a million-to-one shot.

[TexasObserver]

15. THIS

[laconicsax]

4. Life can exist in ways once thought impossible,

time to re-examine where we're looking for extraterrestrial life.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. In simple English the biology of life is not just

What we know. Bacteria can consume arsenic to create energy. Added to the triple sized of the universe, that came out yesterday, the Drake equation just changed in fundamental ways.

[KeepItReal]

8. All DNA is supposed to have Phosphorus...This life form used Arsenic instead.

Totally changes thinking on the building blocks of life.

[WhiteTara]

9. we are a carbon based planet and

an arsenic based creature appeared on our shores. Now, maybe there is a place on this carbon based planet that would support an arsenic based creature, but going by appearances, this is an alien based life form.
I'm no scientist and I'm often wrong, but that's my take.

[Kceres]

19. How could we know that it was not terrestrial, though?

[Gman]

21. I wouldn't focus on the carbon

because, the way I understand it, this bacteria uses carbon. The huge difference is using arsenic instead of phosphorus in cell membranes and in it's DNA.

[Motown_Johnny]

24. I believe you are mistaken

It is my understanding that a scientist was able to take an existing terrestrial life form and remove one chemical thought essential for life and replace it with a similar chemical.


The implication being that elements thought essential for life are not essential at all. This increases the possibility of life developing on planets that have a somewhat different chemical composition than this planet possesses.



(this is still a carbon based life form)

[WhiteTara]

25. thanks for that

I didn't realize it was lab created. Makes an enormous difference in the tale.

[Journeyman]

10. They showed life can exist in a poisoned atmosphere, and thereby gave us hope. . .

we'll survive the next few years of Republican intransigence.

[XemaSab]

16. +1

:D

[derby378]

11. "Beam me up, Scotty - it ate my phaser" is now within the realm of possibility

Does that help? :hi:

[Kceres]

13. Yes. Thanks, Debry378!

[KharmaTrain]

12. They Did A Search Of Planet Boner...

Found no intelligent life whatsoever... :rofl:

[Kceres]

14. I already knew that!

[RegieRocker]

27. There is life on earth

[bluedigger]

28. Do you have a source for that?

Welcome to DU!:hi:

Expect more of the same!:rofl: