NASA discovers new life

[Tetsuo2501]

 

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. "As we pursue our efforts to seek signs of life in the solar system, we have to think more broadly, more diversely and consider life as we do not know it."

 

This finding of an alternative biochemistry makeup will alter biology textbooks and expand the scope of the search for life beyond Earth. The research is published in this week's edition of Science Express.

 

Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the six basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth. Phosphorus is part of the chemical backbone of DNA and RNA, the structures that carry genetic instructions for life, and is considered an essential element for all living cells.

 

Phosphorus is a central component of the energy-carrying molecule in all cells (adenosine triphosphate) and also the phospholipids that form all cell membranes. Arsenic, which is chemically similar to phosphorus, is poisonous for most life on Earth. Arsenic disrupts metabolic pathways because chemically it behaves similarly to phosphate.

 

"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?"

 

The newly discovered microbe, strain GFAJ-1, is a member of a common group of bacteria, the Gammaproteobacteria. In the laboratory, the researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet that was very lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of arsenic. When researchers removed the phosphorus and replaced it with arsenic the microbes continued to grow. Subsequent analyses indicated that the arsenic was being used to produce the building blocks of new GFAJ-1 cells.

 

The key issue the researchers investigated was when the microbe was grown on arsenic did the arsenic actually became incorporated into the organisms' vital biochemical machinery, such as DNA, proteins and the cell membranes. A variety of sophisticated laboratory techniques was used to determine where the arsenic was incorporated.

 

The team chose to explore Mono Lake because of its unusual chemistry, especially its high salinity, high alkalinity, and high levels of arsenic. This chemistry is in part a result of Mono Lake's isolation from its sources of fresh water for 50 years.

 

The results of this study will inform ongoing research in many areas, including the study of Earth's evolution, organic chemistry, biogeochemical cycles, disease mitigation and Earth system research. These findings also will open up new frontiers in microbiology and other areas of research.

 

"The idea of alternative biochemistries for life is common in science fiction," said Carl Pilcher, director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at the agency's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Until now a life form using arsenic as a building block was only theoretical, but now we know such life exists in Mono Lake."

 

The research team included scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn., and the Stanford Synchroton Radiation Lightsource in Menlo Park, Calif.

 

NASA's Astrobiology Program in Washington contributed funding for the research through its Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology program and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. NASA's Astrobiology Program supports research into the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth.

Links: NASA

 

MSN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Sum it all up: Every living thing has the element Phosphorus in it's structure. This micro organism they discovered replaces the Phosphorus in it's structural link with Arsenic.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Tetsuo2501

[The Guru]

Where's the link?

[Tetsuo2501]

Links added.

[TheSiggi]

Very interristing, I'm always curious for new scientific discoveries! Thnx for the info, MSN doesn't tell me sh*t anymore

Edited December 2, 2010 by The_Siggi

[Kevin...]

This has been theorized for a long long time now. Hell, I even remember reading about this around my high school days over around 5 or 10 years ago. I think this idea has also been applied to movies, shows, and video game story lines. Scientists have been saying it is, albeit theoretical to this point, physically possible for this to occur even though it was never actually proven. I am surprised though. There has been some hype for the last few weeks over what NASA was going to announce. It was speculated that they were going to announce some findings of extraterrestrial life but I, and probably the rest of the scientific world, did not expect it to be some Earthly discovery.

 

 

[The Guru]

Links added.

Thanks.

 

It's very interesting, though I was expecting something more like ''several living organisms found in space'' or something.

[XMike]

I'm not really surprised by this, I've always doubted the "fundamental building blocks of life." What amazes me is how much sh*t must be going on in labs around the world. I mean, out of every goddamn thing there is to be testing, they find this one single microbe by one experiment, which could have been one of thousands that could have been tested on it, let alone another million specimens we know barely anything about. Cool stuff.

[Tommy-Vercetti19]

Was watching NASA's live stream of this. Very interesting because my Biology teacher said it wouldn't be possible. Can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out. So many new opportunity's are open now. Scientists can re-examine old space material for arsenic and maybe they can get the funding the need for Mars expeditions and such.

 

Great news.

[dice]

Call me a conspiracy freak, but It's kinda funny this came out 2 days after the wikileaks thing. USA trying to divert the publics attention ? But if this is really true and it wont turn out as some lab mistake and unconclisive results, then there's a possiblity of life on planets which don't really match our conditions (which I strongly believe there is). And It's nice to hear that the definition of life has just expanded.

[TheSiggi]

This has been theorized for a long long time now. Hell, I even remember reading about this around my high school days over around 5 or 10 years ago. I think this idea has also been applied to movies, shows, and video game story lines. Scientists have been saying it is, albeit theoretical to this point, physically possible for this to occur even though it was never actually proven. I am surprised though. There has been some hype for the last few weeks over what NASA was going to announce. It was speculated that they were going to announce some findings of extraterrestrial life but I, and probably the rest of the scientific world, did not expect it to be some Earthly discovery.

You got it, it has been theorized but now its proofed

[Mati]

Wow, this really surprised me. I never believed in things like this but now we have proof.

[CharmingCharlie]

Breaking news NASA has managed to find life on earth no word on whether they are going to be able to find any intelligent life on earth though

[Kevin...]

Call me a conspiracy freak, but It's kinda funny this came out 2 days after the wikileaks thing. USA trying to divert the publics attention ? But if this is really true and it wont turn out as some lab mistake and unconclisive results, then there's a possiblity of life on planets which don't really match our conditions (which I strongly believe there is). And It's nice to hear that the definition of life has just expanded.

Yeah...big conspiracy. Even bigger when you factor in the little bit about NASA announcing this press release/conference weeks in advance.

[Rown]

Maybe I'm too desensitized/cynical... but WikiLeaks didn't feel all that BIG. So our officials apparently shared all the same views we did only privately... big whoop.

 

This too just feels like justification for what they've been saying and what really has made sense.

 

Oh life can emerge from more than only ONE given set of conditions? Amazing.

Oh 2+2 and 3+1 BOTH give me 4? Amazing.

 

Rown

[boxmonster]

Good for NASA, telling us something we already thought was possible.

[K^2]

And if these little guys would have made it to monkey-stage first, they'd call the movie "Phosphorus and Old Lace."

[ass reamer]

 

...but I, and probably the rest of the scientific world, did not expect it to be some Earthly discovery.

I like how you just lumped yourself in with the scientific community. I bet you're the leading authority on chillaxin' in Under Armor.

 

Arsenic based life? Interesting.

[Pico]

I wouldn't say they discovered new life, instead created... which is actually more fantastic, in my opinion.

 

It's actually hard to decide which part of this discovery/invention is more amazing: the fact that they created arsenic-based life, or that arsenic-based life is possible.

[Maleficus]

When I heard about NASA's astrobiologists making this announcement, I assumed it was just going to be some new way to look for life in the the universe. Most of the time these press releases are kind of underwhelming, but this is amazing news. I absolutely love the sciences' abilities to prove themselves wrong about what we say is impossible time and time again.

[NinjaWJ]

this is great news! i am in an astrobiology class and we were talking about this 2 days ago

[Oddsock]

Was watching NASA's live stream of this. Very interesting because my Biology teacher said it wouldn't be possible. Can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out.

Part of being a scientist is being able to say with pride, "I stand corrected." She said it wouldn't possible probably because that's what she was always taught, and now that she knows otherwise, I hope that all of you will be happy for this enlightenment instead of vengeful.

 

On-topic, this is amazing. I knew we spent assloads on NASA for something.

[Finn 7 five 11]

Breaking news NASA has managed to find life on earth no word on whether they are going to be able to find any intelligent life on earth though

That is the quote of the day for me, that is absolutely hilarious. This actually could be a lie to divert attention from wikileaks like someone said.

Sounds awesome though, scientific discoveries always amaze me.

[Kevin...]

...but I, and probably the rest of the scientific world, did not expect it to be some Earthly discovery.

I like how you just lumped yourself in with the scientific community. I bet you're the leading authority on chillaxin' in Under Armor.

 

Arsenic based life? Interesting.

Yeah...I saw what I did but was too lazy to change it. Either way, I might as well be a f*cking genius because the idiots around here screaming "Its a wikileaks diversion!!!" are probably the most retarded people I have ever seen grace the forum.

[Robinski]

You bastard! I came in here with unrealistic hopes of ET life. ( Because, of course, the first place I hear about the biggest news event ever, would be GTAF). But this is pretty cool too. I'd expected this conference to be about some new method for detecting life on other planets, and I guess it sort of is.

[JOSEPH X]

These organisms have just adapted to their environment through natural selection. It doesn't change the definition of life at all.

[K^2]

These organisms have just adapted to their environment through natural selection. It doesn't change the definition of life at all.

Phosphorus is the building block of RNA itself. RNA is something that every single living organism on this planet shares. Or so we thought until now. This is a completely different life form from us, potentially one that developed independently. If we can prove two unique life forms appearing on this planet independently, then that's it. We know there is more life out there.

[spaceeinstein]

NASA didn't discover anything. They only funded this. This microbiologist found it, and it doesn't seem like entirely new life. It's part of a family of bacteria that we already knew existed. The scientist discovered a variant of it that manages to substitute arsenic for phosphorus.

[MagnAn]

Big deal, my teachers have been surviving arsenic for three years.

[K^2]

NASA didn't discover anything. They only funded this. This microbiologist found it, and it doesn't seem like entirely new life. It's part of a family of bacteria that we already knew existed. The scientist discovered a variant of it that manages to substitute arsenic for phosphorus.

Again. It's phosphorus we are talking about. Substituting arsenic for phosphorus is almost as fundamental as substituting silicon for carbon. It's a completely different life form.

[JOSEPH X]

NASA didn't discover anything. They only funded this. This microbiologist found it, and it doesn't seem like entirely new life. It's part of a family of bacteria that we already knew existed. The scientist discovered a variant of it that manages to substitute arsenic for phosphorus.

Again. It's phosphorus we are talking about. Substituting arsenic for phosphorus is almost as fundamental as substituting silicon for carbon. It's a completely different life form.

We share a common ancestor with this organism. If we didn't, the story would be be a lot bigger.