Topic: Non-standard DNA life on Earth

[Align]

http://gizmodo.com/5704158/nasa-finds-new-life

Instead of using phosphorus, the bacteria uses arsenic. All life on Earth is made of six components: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. Every being, from the smallest amoeba to the largest whale, share the same life stream. Our DNA blocks are all the same.

But not this one. This one is completely different. 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.

[Fariator]

Okay, that's pretty interesting right there. I like to read and theorize about different kinds of biological life that is not composed like how 'normal' life on Earth is, so this is fairly interesting. Even if it's just bacteria, and nothing bigger than that.

I wonder if, given enough time, that bacteria could slowly evolve to some other bigger organisms.

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

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.

Indeed.
Holy [parasitic bomb].
If only I could live long enough to see how these things would evolve in an arsenic-rich planet.

[Karai]

Just to make it clear, live stream of NASA news conference starts here in 30 minutes.

[Flame]

Heard about this. Sadly I was on my commute home from college when the stream started, but I heard the news afterward.

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

The comments on the article could potentially move me to kill a man. NASA is wasting money? Never mind the war that's been going on for the last several years with no clear goal and based on a [tornado fang]ing LIE and was largely responsible for the egregious national debt, trying to reach other planets safely in the hopes of finding more resources or HABITABLE LAND is a [tornado fang]ing waste of money!

Why haven't these people choked to death from Cheerios or something? Certainly people this stupid can't live long enough to learn how to use a computer without having it landing on the pavement outside, lying shattered in several thousand pieces.

[Dexter Dexter]

personally i think nasa is a massive speedbump on the path to serious progress in exploring space (privatize that [parasitic bomb] and let BILLIONS of dollars become incentive for the most intense commercial competition in history), but its certainly not gonna look good that our current administration is chopping up the decades old space program if it turns out theyre losing so much money because theyre rediscovering the fundamental concepts of how life works

YOU. MOTHAFUCKING. STUNAD.

Look NASA, if you want funding, then show us what is in Area 51. Show us something crazy. Instead you show us some "wittle" bacteria and expect us to just throw another 34 billion your way. Sorry, you're cut.

NASA doesn't have that kind of authorization, dipshit. They're not the [tornado fang]ing U.S. government, for Christ's sake.

Christ, you asshats, stop being such spoiled shits. This is a new kind of like we're talking about here. [tornado fang]. I think my blood pressure skyrocketed.

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

YOU. MOTHAFUCKING. STUNAD.

I don't think you quite clearly understood that first passage there. He does bring up a point about the privatization, though I would rather the government pay more money for a job well done than a volunteer program that produces questionable results. However, part of the reason why NASA is exploring space is finding extraterrestrial life, and he apparently hasn't made the connection between that and this huge discovery.

That other guy, though, he sounds like he was conceived in the bathroom of a gas station in Alabama.

[Dexter Dexter]

and he apparently hasn't made the connection between that and this huge discovery.

That's EXACTLY the reason I went Italian-American on this guy's ass.

[borockman]

That's actually sounds exciting.

I for one am a believer of extraterrestrial being.

[Flame]

Look NASA, if you want funding, then show us what is in Area 51. Show us something crazy. Instead you show us some "wittle" bacteria and expect us to just throw another 34 billion your way. Sorry, you're cut.

then show us what is in Area 51.

NASA

Area 51

[tornado fang] The What....

Also,

some "wittle" bacteria

Lets sick some of that Arsenic Bacterium on him and then see if Nasa having to reevaluate what they consider to be life fundamentals is a waste of money.

Its like they EXPECT Nasa to pop [parasitic bomb] out of their ass with no money. Because in case nobody knew, Nasa doesnt exactly have the biggest budget ever. They represent like what, 1-5% of the total US budget? They have far less money than people seem to think. Making rockets costs LOTS of money. Its the reason they have all but STOPPED their shuttle program, instead hitching rides with other countries shuttles, or collaborating with other countries.

And Science is about ALL science. not just finding Aliens. Even Astronomy is tied in with Biology and Geology. Because it concerns life on other worlds, as well as those worlds compositions.

NASA isnt just about rockets.

Also, you think thats bad, try comments on Yahoo. THOSE make you just want to punch your screen out. They ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS involve politics. ALWAYS. Hell, the article could be about a new Nerf chess set, and the commentary will always lean towards politics.

[Align]

Reading internet comments leads only to anger.

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

Also,Lets sick some of that Arsenic Bacterium on him and then see if Nasa having to reevaluate what they consider to be life fundamentals is a waste of money.

Its like they EXPECT Nasa to pop [parasitic bomb] out of their ass with no money. Because in case nobody knew, Nasa doesnt exactly have the biggest budget ever. They represent like what, 1-5% of the total US budget? They have far less money than people seem to think. Making rockets costs LOTS of money. Its the reason they have all but STOPPED their shuttle program, instead hitching rides with other countries shuttles, or collaborating with other countries.

And Science is about ALL science. not just finding Aliens. Even Astronomy is tied in with Biology and Geology. Because it concerns life on other worlds, as well as those worlds compositions.

NASA isnt just about rockets.

As uncomplicated as this is to understand, most people won't pay attention because it's far beyond what their attention span is accustomed to handling (i.e. celebrity news; I mean, sitting there for an hour just to find out that *gasp* famous people are HUMAN BEINGS TOO? Now that is a worthy investment of time!), so as far as they're concerned, they won't listen in on their science classes much further than My Very Elderly Mother Just Served Nine Pizzas, and all NASA does is twinkle twinkle little star and fly tin cans to the moon to find out if it's still made from cheese.

[Align]

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/12/its_not_an_arsenic-based_life.php
Jossed, sort of.

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/12/its_not_an_arsenic-based_life.php
Jossed, sort of.

Very disappointing.

But this comment:
"So there won't be a host of alien, arsenic based femme fatales arriving to poison us with kisses of death?

Pity."
lol

[Flame]

Still a worthwhile discovery in my book. Science is not just about big things. Small little things such as this are also news. Though to have a press conference over something that in the end is not THAT big, just something we knew put in practice, (Bacteria adapting to environments normally unsuitable for life- in this case Arsenic/phosphorus)n IS a bit  .

just a regular ol news announcement would have worked just as good... Though even that wouldnt have stopped an influx of dropped-on-their-heads-as-babies idiots from going on about politics and NASA being a waste of money because they didnt present us with aliens. >___>

[Sub Tank]

[tornado fang]ing NASA.  I'm waiting for Wikileaks to release all those classified UFO documents.

[Mirby]

Update!!

And it's all bad...

[Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon]

Geez, now it's just lazy scientists.
Bleh.