NASA Discovers New Life
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Slightly disappointing when the thread unveils "New Life!", but oh well. New life discovered is likely to be microscopic/tiny in size, so we should all get used to it.
The substituting arsenic for phosphorus, though...that's crazy weird. I'm now very intrigued as to how the ATP/ADP exchange works within these cells, considering arsenic has been swapped in. In order to add further disappointment to the story, I bet there's no change.
The substituting arsenic for phosphorus, though...that's crazy weird. I'm now very intrigued as to how the ATP/ADP exchange works within these cells, considering arsenic has been swapped in. In order to add further disappointment to the story, I bet there's no change.
Now remember kids, in a couple million years when these have evolved into an arsenic-based life form big enough to eat, don't eat it.
BBBBUUUUUULLLLLL CCCCCCRRRRAAAAAAPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot express my ANGER at this mountain of pathethic, vile words they call a significant discovery in words!
It is utterly pretentious and naive to assume that just because all life that we knew of required water, or had certain elements composing their bodies that all life in the UNIVERSE does!
As a 10 YEAR OLD CHILD I scoffed at NASA taking any minute signs as water as a sign of life, and ignoring everything else! I had wrongly assumed that they had enough COMMON SENSE to look further!
This embarrasses, no, shames, no, DISGUSTS me that we spent millions of dollars and over 45 years, to come to a conclusion that I MYSELF HAD MADE YEARS AGO!
Ugh, I am so enraged right now, I need to go maim something. (In a video game, mind you, so don't go send SWAT teams on my ass please.)
/END RANT
EDIT: before you call me obionxius and the like, read my response to those claims in the below posts.
I cannot express my ANGER at this mountain of pathethic, vile words they call a significant discovery in words!
It is utterly pretentious and naive to assume that just because all life that we knew of required water, or had certain elements composing their bodies that all life in the UNIVERSE does!
As a 10 YEAR OLD CHILD I scoffed at NASA taking any minute signs as water as a sign of life, and ignoring everything else! I had wrongly assumed that they had enough COMMON SENSE to look further!
This embarrasses, no, shames, no, DISGUSTS me that we spent millions of dollars and over 45 years, to come to a conclusion that I MYSELF HAD MADE YEARS AGO!
Ugh, I am so enraged right now, I need to go maim something. (In a video game, mind you, so don't go send SWAT teams on my ass please.)
/END RANT
EDIT: before you call me obionxius and the like, read my response to those claims in the below posts.
The use of arsenic as a phosphorus supplement is new (though certainly capable of happening, as the two have many similar atomic properties) , but microbes adapting to extremely adverse environments isn't new. Were I to hear of selenium being supplemented in organic compounds for sulfur, I would similarly not be that impressed. It is still fascinating, though, and I don't mean to belittle that, but elemental replacements happen quite frequently for me (a chemical metallurgist).Andy Chalk said:
I was sorta hoping that it'd go along the lines of 'well ladies and gentleman I'd like to present our find in the search for extra-terrestrial life, would you all join me in welcoming the first ambassador from an alien species, Aelphaeis Mangarae'
Delusibeta's Law of Science: speculation (or theory) is fairly useless without proof. This is proof. Therefore, it's a big deal.Jabberwock xeno said:
It's all well and good to say you thought of something like this years ago. Guess what? People have been thinking of it since before you were even born.Jabberwock xeno said:
But you see, in the world of science proof is the only thing that matters, and now we have real proof.
If you don't think that's a big deal, well, that's your loss, but to be enraged that we spent our time and money to learn something for certain instead of just having a bunch of nerds brainstorm a bit and call it science fact belittles everything science stands for, and you are dangerously ignorant.
It uses arsenic where we use phosphate. Arsenic can kill us. Therefore they can.Merkavar said:
That's all dramaticism of cource, because phosphate is probably lethal to them in the same way arsenic is to us (the elements are too similar). I certainly wouldn't want to drink the water from that lake though.
Just like science: all we ever do is make more questions for ourselves.
Even if it's just arsenic that's now added to the repetoire of things that can make biological life, where does that leave us in the primordial soup? It throws the map we've been using for a long while out the window, giving us a new one to explore.
Even if it's just arsenic that's now added to the repetoire of things that can make biological life, where does that leave us in the primordial soup? It throws the map we've been using for a long while out the window, giving us a new one to explore.
Yeah, maybe if we EAT one. I don't get this at all. There's a million bugs that are poisonous too. This isn't new.Amalith said:
I mean, a slightly arsenic-based life form is new (not a big deal, but new) but not poisonous life forms in general.
I get that people are joking, I'm just saying the joke is kind of a stretch.
It's just that there was nothing ever suggesting that life without water or whatever WASN'T possible, ins't that the entire basis for the scientific theory? Hypothesis, and throw the idea away when something disproves it, not throw it away without proof for it? (in laymans terms anyways)ZephrC said:
The whole field of astrobiology is largely speculative anyways, yet NASA limited their own potential and use with their tech and skills in space exploration by limiting the search for ET life to earth like environments.
I understand the importance of this finding towards NORMAL biology, but doesn't expanding the field to space kind of throw most known rules for life out of the book by default? it's the UNIVERSE for gods sake, we don't even know if our definition of life is acceptable for the most part.
For all we know, there could be a sentient race of what looks like a cross between a octopus and a venus flytrap made of Ionized Hydrogen or something, that is born spontaneously and doesn't reproduce! Hell, that could be the most common form of "life" in the universe and we would have no way of knowing!
Hopefully the Chinese will continue their space program and kick off a race to Mars.
The only reason American astronauts got to the moon was because of petty jealousy with the Soviets, so let's hope the governments of the world are still immature enough to send a crew to our red neighbour. Maybe then, people will remember that humanity has gained the ability to FLY TO OTHER FREAKING WORLDS!
The only reason American astronauts got to the moon was because of petty jealousy with the Soviets, so let's hope the governments of the world are still immature enough to send a crew to our red neighbour. Maybe then, people will remember that humanity has gained the ability to FLY TO OTHER FREAKING WORLDS!
So is this microbe, it just uses arsenic instead of phosphorus to stick together the the carbon chains in the cell walls. Any good geek knows Silicon based life forms cant exist in oxygen based atmosphere.Icarion said:
