Meteorites hold a record of the chemicals that existed in the early solar system and that may have been a crucial source of the organic compounds that gave rise to […]
biochemistry
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Response to Comments on "A Bacterium That Can Grow Using Arsenic Instead of Phosphorus"
“Concerns have been raised about our recent study suggesting that arsenic (As) substitutes for phosphorus (P) in major biomolecules of a bacterium that tolerates extreme As concentrations. We welcome the […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Conferences and Meetings, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Arsenic, Astrobiology, NASA, and the Media
Exclusive Interview: Discoverer of Arsenic Bacteria, in the Eye of the Storm, Science Now “Q: So, NASA approached you about doing a press conference, and you thought that was a […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Weird Arsenic-Eating Microbes Discovered? Yes. Finding E.T.? No.
NASA-Funded Astrobiology Research Discovers Earth Life Built With Arsenic, NASA “NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. Researchers conducting tests in […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Arsenic-Based Life Found on Earth
Astrobiologists: Deadly arsenic breathes life into organisms, Arizona State University “Evidence that the toxic element arsenic can replace the essential nutrient phosphorus in biomolecules of a naturally occurring bacterium expands […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
NASA-Funded Astrobiology Research Discovers Earth Life Built With Arsenic
NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia, Press Release
NASA Identifies Carbon-rich Molecules in Meteors as the “Origin of Life”
Tons, perhaps tens of tons, of carbon molecules in dust particles and meteorites fall on Earth daily. Meteorites are especially valuable to astronomers because they provide relatively big chunks of […]