possibly one of the most important announcements...ever?

omg - do you thing they're hot?

online streaming can be found here
http://www.nasa.gov/
2pm ET

" All life on Earth - from microbes to elephants and us - is based on a single genetic model that requires the element phosphorus as one of its six essential components.

But now researchers have uncovered a bacterium that has five of those essential elements but has, in effect, replaced phosphorus with its look-alike but toxic cousin arsenic.

News of the discovery caused a scientific commotion, including calls to NASA from the White House and Congress asking whether a second line of earthly life has been found."

Pretty crazy, life is more flexible than we know it

this is damn cool—
to what extent is it "we have found life that could exist on Titan" vs. "we think we found evidence of life on Titan"

Turns out it was a life form on Earth that can survive without phosphorous, which we believed to be a component necessary to life. See Ramsus' post:

But now researchers have uncovered a bacterium that has five of those essential elements but has, in effect, replaced phosphorus with its look-alike but toxic cousin arsenic

However, it turns out that this bacteria still survives better WITH phosphorous, but the fact that it can survive without it greatly increases the scope of where life can exist and where we should be looking for life to exist. Anyway, there's a great article by PZ Myers, which seems to be a bit of a downer, puts everything into legitimate perspective (i.e. not saying that it's a new life form because it's really just an extremophile to the nth degree.)

Saying it's an extremophile vs new life is arguing technicalities imo. It's basically new life but technically not since it only uses a look alike of phosphorus and has the same structure of life as we know it.

Still awesome cuz now I'm positive life exists elsewhere (was p sure before). The planet doesn't have to be our perfect petri dish of a planet to harbor at least some form of life

Ramsus88 wrote:Saying it's an extremophile vs new life is arguing technicalities imo. It's basically new life but technically not since it only uses a look alike of phosphorus and has the same structure of life as we know it.

Which is why I brought up the technicality ;D

While it is not new life, it holds staggering implications for finding new life (as you said).

Edit: I'm basically vehemently agreeing with you

NO

I agree with you more

No no no. I insist.

(Procrastinating studying for my linear algebra exam )