Quote (zeratul87 @ Dec 4 2010 10:03am)
this is a very valid point. the problem with initial findings is that they have not undergone the heavy scrutiny of the scientific community, which is necessary to even be considered a theory.
it would take quite of bit of research before these lifeforms replace the deep see hydrothermal microbes as candidates for the first lifeforms.
this is still very neat and it's implications are outstandingly diverse.
these microbes wouldnt replace other microbes as candidates for the first lifeforms... they are a variation of a current group of microbes, not to mention, that if they were candidates for the first lifeforms, many more species would have the ability to use arsenic over phosphorus
Quote (Basi @ Dec 3 2010 10:56am)
I would want to see this in a journal, Science or Nature. The use of arsenic as a primary component of DNA and completely replacing phosphorus would be unique. But the fact that they weened it off of P in the lab and acculturated it to As makes me a little skeptical that this is a truly differnt form of life. Cells can do crazy things in the lab. It is worthy of keeping an eye on similar stories.
I think that NASA is interested because they are tied into the community of researchers looking for forms of life on non-earthly places (e.g. the moons of Saturn). And you can't really look for life if you don't know what that form of life might look like. large macroscopic organisms would be easy to spot, but most speculation leads us to believe that other forms of life in the universe are going to be small, unicellular organisms. Aferall, life on Earth existed for 3 billion years before multicellular organisms made an appearance.
the main importance of this finding isnt that it is a different form of life (which it isnt), but rather a form of life that can live without one of the main elements we thought was necessary for life.
This post was edited by cialda on Dec 4 2010 11:43am