NASA to Make Major Announcement About Search for Alien Life Today @ 2pm

[Oneironaut Zero]

Article I dunno about you, but I'm intrigued.

[Marvo]

Definitive proof that no god exists. Just close down R/S. It's over.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Nice! It's like I've been saying all along: Limiting the search to Earth-like conditions (though probably the most logical way to go about it) was prolonging the process. Hehe.

[Marvo]

Nice! It's like I've been saying all along: Limiting the search to Earth-like conditions (though probably the most logical way to go about it) was prolonging the process. Hehe. I don't think they ever rejected the idea, it's just hard to search for something you don't know what looks like, especially when you're searching on other planets and not just the bottom of poisonous lakes.

[LucidFlanders]

Maybe it's a way to create space monkeys that shoot lazer beams out of there eyes that would be SWEET!

[LucidFlanders]

Definitive proof that no god exists. Just close down R/S. It's over. That last bit has me intrested. And that's without counting yesterday's announcement on the discovery of a massive number of red dwarf stars, which may harbor a trillion Earths, dramatically increasing our chances of finding extraterrestrial life. [NOS—In Dutch] You know what would be awesome? use the lense we have today for looking into space, then use a small thing with the same lense and we can see even further, use the same lense again, see even further, etc. Of course it wont work or it would have been done before, and i'm sure the things they throw out there are much better.

[Xei]

If true, this is absolutely huge. The relevance is that we previously had no idea how probable abiogenesis was. It could have been the case that DNA (and RNA) is the only possible spontaneously forming replicating information carrier, and if this were the case then there were absolutely no limits to how improbable life was, as it would mean that a very specific set of circumstances have to conspire together to make a life-sustaining planet. However, if there are other potential life molecules with relatively different chemistries on this planet, that vastly increases the probability that life is a common occurrence. Further research would have to be done on its genealogy though, because it could be the case that DNA needs to precede it... but even if this were the case, the fact such a different chemistry can exist is very promising. Life could even be elsewhere in our solar system; this discovery could finally give impetus to the proposed missions for checking out if the various potential bodies in the universe have life on them. I think any country would be keen to be the one to do such a monumental thing. This really doesn't 'disprove God' though. Such statements just sound arrogant and are also very philosophically naive.

[LucidFlanders]

Someone post a recap of what is said. I wont get anything they say, i don't understand science that great. edit- Please stop talking about god, this is about science, not religion ffs.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Someone post a recap of what is said. I wont get anything they say, i don't understand science that great. Basically, they have found a microbe in California that has the ability to substitute a crucial, basic element required for life, with another element on the periodic table. All life as we know it is based on 6 basic elements, one of those being Phosphorus. This microbe is able to substitute that element by using Arsenic, which is an element that is extremely toxic to all life that has been known to science. This implies that the types of conditions that life can grow within are vastly more numerous than science has previously taught. It opens the door to the possibility that there may even be life within our solar system.

[Xei]

'Taught' or 'thought'? Although, really, it didn't do either. The stance has always been 'we don't know'.

[Oneironaut Zero]

'Taught' or 'thought'? Although, really, it didn't do either. The stance has always been 'we don't know'. Well, yeah, but the search was pointed in the direction of examining Earth-like conditions first, because they were most likely to harbor life. Was it not? This significantly skews that line of thought, doesn't it?

[nina]

As fascinating as this discovery is, I was hoping for something a little more...extraterrestrial. Someday...

[Spartiate]

As fascinating as this discovery is, I was hoping for something a little more...extraterrestrial. Someday... Yeah me too . This is pretty cool but if NASA is like "BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY ABOUT ALIENS", anything short of aliens is a let down.

[Invader]

I bet this raises a thousand questions for biologists everywhere. How does it substitute arsenic in place of phosphorous? What's the actual mechanism that determines what elements to use for constructing it's DNA and other vital molecules?

[SnakeCharmer]

How does it substitute arsenic in place of phosphorous? What's the actual mechanism that determines what elements to use for constructing it's DNA and other vital molecules? This is possible due to the fact that arsenate is very similar to phosphate. The mechanism that determines whether something can or can't be used for building biomolecules depends on its size and structure - whether something fits into the active site of an enzyme or not. Most of our enzymes can't tell the difference between the arsenate and phosphate, and that's exactly why arsenic is toxic to most known species. The problem is that arsenate containing biomolecules are in general unstable compared to phosphate molecules. This bacteria has the ability to stabilize arsenate compounds by producing a polymer that slows down their hydrolysis. The details are, of course, unknown.

[Marvo]

I bet this raises a thousand questions for biologists everywhere. How does it substitute arsenic in place of phosphorous? What's the actual mechanism that determines what elements to use for constructing it's DNA and other vital molecules? Phosphate and arsenate are just very similar in structure. Phosphate is better, but since that lake was incredibly high in arsenate and low in phosphate, the probability of an arsenate based organism arrising was simply higher. Back when the Earth was young, there were organisms that used something else than oxygen. I think is was a sulfur compound, but I'm not entirely sure.

[LucidFlanders]

As fascinating as this discovery is, I was hoping for something a little more...extraterrestrial. Someday... We all wish but the truth is the government will not allow them to say that there is. It'll be all hush hush. Not to sound all crazy about conspiricys but that's the truth. It's gonna be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time before we know of this.

[LucidFlanders]

Basically, they have found a microbe in California that has the ability to substitute a crucial, basic element required for life, with another element on the periodic table. All life as we know it is based on 6 basic elements, one of those being Phosphorus. This microbe is able to substitute that element by using Arsenic, which is an element that is extremely toxic to all life that has been known to science. This implies that the types of conditions that life can grow within are vastly more numerous than science has previously taught. It opens the door to the possibility that there may even be life within our solar system. Thanks. See? i still don't get it. i flunked science so hard i did not go past science grade 9.

[Spartiate]

We all wish but the truth is the government will not allow them to say that there is. It'll be all hush hush. Not to sound all crazy about conspiricys but that's the truth. It's gonna be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time before we know of this. "The government". Who's government?

[LucidFlanders]

"The government". Who's government? The one living in my tin foil hat. Probably all governments.

[Marvo]

We all wish but the truth is the government will not allow them to say that there is. It'll be all hush hush. Not to sound all crazy about conspiricys but that's the truth. It's gonna be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time before we know of this. If aliens show up on planet Earth with the intention of revealing them selves, I don't think they'll let a bunch of governments get in their way.

[LucidFlanders]

If aliens show up on planet Earth with the intention of revealing them selves, I don't think they'll let a bunch of governments get in their way. I mean in a way where Nasa or w/e discover them in the universe. It will be all hush hush. WE FOUND ALIENS ON MARS! no you didnt, it was a rock on the planet.

[Marvo]

I mean in a way where Nasa or w/e discover them in the universe. It will be all hush hush. WE FOUND ALIENS ON MARS! no you didnt, it was a rock on the planet. Why would they hide it?

[DrunkenArse]

sigh... Someone's gotta post it. Title: Arsenic Based Life Title Text: According to a new paper published in the journal Science, reporters are unable to thrive in an arsenic-rich environment.

[Oneironaut Zero]

^ Ok, that is freakin' hilarious.