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NASA Discovers New Life Form Aliens!?!?!

#1   Zeypher 

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    Posted 02 December 2010 - 01:07 PM

    http://www.wired.com...finds-new-life/

    Not aliens, but a new bacteria was found in Lake Mono, California, that has a completely different DNA than anything living on Earth.

    More info will come out of NASA's press conference at 2PM today.

    This is pretty cool, too - http://gizmodo.com/5...ee-times-higher

    #2   Eugine 

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      Posted 02 December 2010 - 05:30 PM

      They were hyping this waay too much. I was expecting more.

      I can't add much substance (reading articles will give much more than I can), but I can say Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon (http://www.ironlisa.com/) was very, very, very, very passionate during the press conference. You can see she really enjoys her career/job. It was like she was having an orgasm by simply talking about her discovery. We need more people like that!

      EDIT:


      Video link.

      This post has been edited by Eugine: 03 December 2010 - 08:53 AM


      #3   Moonear 

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        Posted 02 December 2010 - 08:59 PM

        Arsenic, wow. Just thinking that something so poisonous to us is the building block of another organism... just whoa.

        #4   Toasty 

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          Posted 07 December 2010 - 09:59 PM

          The DNA isn't that different. It still has the same structure, only the phosphorus (iirc) was replaced by arsenic.

          Granted, no other previous life form has ever been known to even slightly deviate from the standard DNA structure and makeup we're accustomed to, but I won't really be impressed until they find something totally and completely different to DNA in both structure and makeup.

          #5   Caael 

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            Posted 08 December 2010 - 04:56 PM

            View PostToasty, on 07 December 2010 - 09:59 PM, said:

            The DNA isn't that different. It still has the same structure, only the phosphorus (iirc) was replaced by arsenic.

            Granted, no other previous life form has ever been known to even slightly deviate from the standard DNA structure and makeup we're accustomed to, but I won't really be impressed until they find something totally and completely different to DNA in both structure and makeup.


            What you're essentially saying is you wont accept a new form of life until it's coming from the sky in metal disks shooting lasers everywhere? Your standards of everything are FAR too high.

            #6   Toasty 

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              Posted 08 December 2010 - 05:55 PM

              No, that's not what I said. DNA is in the form of a double helix. I'll be impressed when we see some organism, bacteria or otherwise, that uses some structure and chemical makeup for storing genetic information that's entirely different from that. For example, maybe it'll be shaped like a hypercube and be made out of chlorine, radon, lithium, and hydrogen. I dunno. Just something entirely different from the norm.

              As it stands, it's perfectly sensible for the bacteria to replace phosphorus in its DNA with Arsenic, because both atoms are in the same column in the periodic table. It's not impressive to me, because the bacteria was in an environment where phosphorus was limited, and arsenic was abundant. It simply adapted to it's environment and incorporated a similar element into its genetic makeup where the normal element was absent.

              I believe in living organism's ability to adapt to their surroundings. I just don't believe in "Macro Evolution" where they say humans came from monkeys.

              #7   Caael 

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                Posted 09 December 2010 - 10:13 AM

                So basically "change more and i'll be impressed." Who cares if it doesn't live up to your expectations, it's still quite an interesting breakthrough.

                #8   Toasty 

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                  Posted 09 December 2010 - 01:38 PM

                  Not as impressive as the discovery of teflon. At least that discovery led to something useful. :o

                  Don't really see how organisms being able to replace elements in their own DNA can be of any use. But hey, it's a new discovery, so who knows. Maybe it will end up being useful in some way.

                  #9   Saturos S. 

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                    Posted 09 December 2010 - 02:42 PM

                    That's quite a narrow-minded view. A discovery doesn't have to lead to any kind of practical use to be interesting/valuable. Though I guess you're just rating it's importance, which is a personal opinion.

                    The media hype might have made it a bit of anti-climax for a lot people. Blame the sci-fi for that, an alien with bug eyes is much interesting than a bacteria which has uncoventional DNA. Though the big point is, it is quite a big evolutional step in it's DNA. A step that wasn't thought to be possible.

                    And hey, who knows, it might lead to some kind of practical use.

                    #10   I'm Always BROKE 

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                      Posted 21 February 2011 - 09:27 PM

                      Dude... Aliens are already here but in the 4th and 5th demension. :rolleyes:


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