New Microbe Found

[*MAP*]

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This screams Weird Science to me..

Today I read a story about tomorrows NASA press conference. Turns out they found a microbe which actually substitutes arsenic for phosphorus to sustain its growth. How do yall feel this will impact the hunt for life on other worlds?

I personally think this may be an eye opener for scientist who develop the tests to determine life on other planets, which could possibly performed by bots similar to the mars rovers.

Do you think the recent find by scientists of a microbe that has substituted arsenic for phosphorus to sustain its growth, will have any impact on creationists and neo-religious christians?

~ *MAP*

disclaimer statement: I do NOT think all christians are neo-religious.

[scarygirl67]

Here's a link to an article about it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the press conference...but it appears they found a bacteria that can sustain life in arsenic, which had before been thought to be too poisonous for anything to grow.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...anets.html

I guess we'll see what we see!

[Haunted Lady]

Just to give a little further information, I found another article that may be helpful;

http://microbiology.usgs.gov/geomicrobio...senic.html

I don't personally think this is a game changer. We are fully aware in the scientific portion of this that humans can build a very high tolerance to arsenic. DNA studies and forensic science have shown that in arsenic poising cases that most murder by arsenic is a process which takes place over a long period of time. The poisoning victim builds such a great tolerance with small (even some high) doses that the fatal dose ends up being one that should have killed a football team.

Theres also a normal reading for arsenic in unexposed individuals (< 1 μg/L in blood <100 μg/L in urine ≤ 1 ppm in nails ≤ 1 ppm in hair)...which to me suggests that we have known for some time now that arsenic is a normal and natural part of the life cycle, even if on some small scale.

So that a microbe can thrive with arsenic in place of phosphorus as a building block for growth isn't a big shock to me.

For myself, it isn't evolution versus creation or science versus God. It's man trying to understand, even if on some small scale...what God already had figured out. In this discovery we seek to know if there could be life on other planets, could an atmosphere without phosphorous sustain life? Of course it could.

It's very naieve to think that we could be alone out there...or even at any point to think we know the 'rules of the game'.

[scarygirl67]

A very detailed blog about it was posted the other day. Goes into a lot of detail which I won't try to explain here..better to read the blog itself.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/...d_life.php

Basically what it boils down to is that it isn't an arsenic based life form..it's a very hearty bacteria that was able to adapt to it when introduced.

And I agree, LK...very naive for any of us to think we are all the life that is out there. (I still say we're the extraterrestrial's favorite reality show!)

[Dax25]

This is really amazing I would love to see thing under a scope. Arsenic is known for its horrible effects, even in small does it can be deadly over a period of time. I had a chemistry professor once who loved to talk about Arsenic, as well as Cyanide he always went on how they were so amazing because how fast they could kill everyone on campus. Anyways, this goes to show us that we can still be surprised about what we haven't found on our own planet. We have yet to find the universal ancestor of all life, if they ever find that one out it would be the most important discovery ever made in Biological science.

[scarygirl67]

With all due respect, *MAP*, what I read from the last line of LK's post is an opinion...not directed at anyone specifically. As well, she offered some good information to consider. Why would that cause you not to post here?

As far as it having an impact on any religious beliefs...people will believe what they are going to, regardless of anything that might be discovered.

*oh and for Dax25...that link to the blog in post #4 has some pics of slides of it under a microscope, if you're interested in taking a look.