Printable View
So, yeah, don't know how many people care about this stuff or even understand its implications, but here's a link to a science blog that explains it a bit. This is a big deal to the people in my field, though, and a really profound discovery.
Mono Lake Bacteria build DNA from arsenic
I saw that yesterday, and I think it's freaking amazing
I'd definitely agree with you there. I work with extremophiles, so it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that an organism would be able to grow in arsenic, but to be able to incorporate it in place of phosphate is astounding. I mean, sure, they have similar chemical properties, but the implications behind it all... NASA is right to get excited, and no doubt they're holding stuff back.
So, if I understand the finding correctly, this is a new filter, so to speak when it comes to searching for life on other planets?
Is this discovery purposely being hyped to generate more research funding?
I'm not quite sure what you mean by filter. Certainly, it implies that life is not constrained to the 6 elements that most life we've discovered is constrained to. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities when looking for life on other planets or even on our own. It redefines life as we know it in many ways and confirms that elemental substitutions can be made and still have life function, something that was only theorized until now.
As for the hype, you may be right, but you may not be. The next steps could take a long time, and NASA is aware of this. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they have something up their sleeve that they're not yet sharing. Only thing to do is wait and see.
It's been theorized plenty. Look at Star Trek, Superman, and myriad other SF works (usually they're more F than S, but that doesn't stop them) - the idea of silicon-based or arsenic-based life has been explored plenty.Quote:
Originally posted by Inaero
I'm not quite sure what you mean by filter. Certainly, it implies that life is not constrained to the 6 elements that most life we've discovered is constrained to. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities when looking for life on other planets or even on our own. It redefines life as we know it in many ways and confirms that elemental substitutions can be made and still have life function, something that was only theorized until now.
Unrelated. http://www.xkcd.com/829/
Yes, that's what I said. I said it has been theorized but not demonstrated until now. We've essentially entered the realm of science fiction with this discovery (not that we haven't done such things in the past, but this is huge to my field, so I'm excited).Quote:
It's been theorized plenty. Look at Star Trek, Superman, and myriad other SF works (usually they're more F than S, but that doesn't stop them) - the idea of silicon-based or arsenic-based life has been explored plenty.
By filter I meant scientists can now search areas that they once would've passed over, assuming it could not support life.
Yes, that's true. We can also search more of these areas on Earth, not to mention study these specific organisms and try to figure out why they're capable of utilizing arsenic in such a fashion.Quote:
By filter I meant scientists can now search areas that they once would've passed over, assuming it could not support life.
In addition to why they're capable, I'd also like to know why they started in the first place, since it's been shown they can still use phosphorous normally and the arsenic isn't necessarily necessary.Quote:
Originally posted by Inaero
...not to mention study these specific organisms and try to figure out why they're capable of utilizing arsenic in such a fashion.