Nasa new life!

NASA is holding a press
conference today
at 2pm to announce a major
finding in their research in
the field of astrobiology and
speculation has reached a
fever pitch after the agency
said the finding "will impact
the search for evidence of
extraterrestrial life."
The news has leaked now,
and while the discovery is
not extraterrestrial life,
NASA has indeed uncovered
an entirely new life form on
our planet that "doesn't
share the biological building
blocks of anything currently
living" on Earth, Gizmodo
reports.
Discovered in the
poisonous Mono Lake,
California, this bacteria
is made of arsenic,
something that was
thought to be completely
impossible. While she
and other scientists
theorized that this could
be possible, this is the
first discovery. The
implications of this
discovery are enormous
to our understanding of
life itself and the
possibility of finding
beings in other planets
that don't have to be like
planet Earth.
One of the scientists set to
speak at the conference
today, Felisa Wolfe-Simon,
had written a paper "Did
Nature also choose
arsenic?" earlier this year
wondering if that element
could also be a foundation
for life:
We hypothesize that
ancient biochemical
systems, analogous to
but distinct from those
known today, could have
utilized arsenate in the
equivalent biological role
as phosphate.
Organisms utilizing such
'weird life' biochemical
pathways may have
supported a 'shadow
biosphere' at the time of
the origin and early
evolution of life on Earth
or on other planets.
Such organisms may
even persist on Earth
today, undetected, in
unusual niches.
It would seem her theory is
correct. In March of this year
the London Times had a
fascinating report on Wolfe-
Simon's research at Lake
Mono:
She points out that Mono
Lake arsenic life, if
found, may only go as
far as proving the
extreme adaptability of
life on Earth billions of
years ago. It is generally
agreed that on early
Earth the chemical soup
was very different
because of the material
being thrown out of the
planet's depths by
volcanoes and
hydrothermal vents and
the lack of biologically
derived oxygen. If
arsenic was around in
far greater
concentrations then,
perhaps "arsenolife", as
she calls it, in Mono Lake
is evidence of that
ancestral life, a finding
that would deepen our
understanding of how life
on Earth got started.
There will be other scientists
at the news conference.
Jason Kottke gives a
rundown on each of them and
their expertise here. NASA's
press release announcing
the news conference is
below.
NASA Sets News
Conference on
Astrobiology Discovery;
Science Journal Has
Embargoed Details Until 2
p.m. EST On Dec. 2
ADVERTISEMENT
WASHINGTON -- NASA
will hold a news
conference at 2 p.m. EST
on Thursday, Dec. 2, to
discuss an astrobiology
finding that will impact
the search for evidence
of extraterrestrial life.
Astrobiology is the study
of the origin, evolution,
distribution and future of
life in the universe.
The news conference will
be held at the NASA
Headquarters auditorium
at 300 E St. SW, in
Washington. It will be
broadcast live on NASA
Television and streamed
on the agency's website
at http://www.nasa.gov.
Participants are:
- Mary Voytek, director,
Astrobiology Program,
NASA Headquarters,
Washington
- Felisa Wolfe-Simon,
NASA astrobiology
research fellow, U.S.
Geological Survey, Menlo
Park, Calif.
- Pamela Conrad,
astrobiologist, NASA's
Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Md.
- Steven Benner,
distinguished fellow,
Foundation for Applied
Molecular Evolution,
Gainesville, Fla.
- James Elser,
professor, Arizona State
University, Tempe
Media representatives
may attend the
conference or ask
questions by phone or
from participating NASA
locations. To obtain dial-
in information,
journalists must send
their name, affiliation and
telephone number to
Steve Cole at
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov
or call 202-358-0918 by
noon Dec. 2.
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