Newly Discovered Arsenic-Based Life Form

[Cy Skywalker]

It's kindof late at night so I can't really explain the thing but read this. www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/nasa-finds-arsenic-life-form/ This life form is arsenic-based, which is weird because all life on Earth is carbon-based.

This article www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/04/does-a-new-life-form-mean-god-is-dead/ asks whether the discovery means that "God is dead". I see no reason why it would. The Bible doesn't say "and on the fourth day God created carbon-based life forms."

[Xentus]

An interesting thing that has many people trying to use it for their own ends. In the end, all it definitively means is that life can live on poison (as a super-simple way of putting things). Artificial micro-evolution at work right here folks, same as it's always been. All I'm hoping for is a possible bio-engineered virus that attacks only cancerous cells.

[SilverSergyon13]

Very interesting read. Certainly opens up a whole range of doors to explain life and another possibilities for other planets. I don't really understand why they say it may explain that bacteria may have started in an arsenic rich environment. I also don't understand why they are saying the bacteria are arsenic based as opposed to carbon based. I'd have to take a look at the DNA structure to really know what is going on there, but it seems like the arsenic has replaced the phosphorus, NOT the Carbon. What this means is the DNA and energy sources are flanked by arsenic molecules. They did mention that as an energy source it was not nearly as effective as phosphorus, but I think it's neat that bacteria will utilize it anyways.

I don't really think this counts as micro evolution, but rather laboratory induced evolution. Very, very interesting work. I'd be interested to read over the actual published lab report to see what exactly they did. Bacteria are very resilient little creatures, so you can actually do quite a bit to them and still they will survive. However, I don't think this discovery is too different from when they discovered bacteria living near hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. That explained bacteria can chemosynthesize sulfur instead of carbon and oxygen as a food source AND they could live in a very extreme temperature. This to me shows a more definite link to how life might have survived on early earth.

[Cy Skywalker]

I was reminded of those chemosynthetic things too, but do not know enough about biology to properly define any of this.

[nighthawk]

Human Torch here we come.