Life on earth no matter how diverse has always needed the same basic things to live. The basic building blocks of life on earth has always been believed to be carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus(Tasker). Without one of the elements life can't exist, or so we thought. NASA has released new information that has changed our perception on what can make up life and where life can now be found(Arsenic).
On December 2, 2010 NASA announced that it has found a strand of bacteria that has replaced arsenic for phosphorus in its DNA. Arsenic was previously thought to be toxic and not an element that would make up life(Arsenic). The bacteria were found in sediment under a lake in California(Tasker). This could potentially be a huge find in the exploration for life beyond earth.
Why is finding this new strain of bacteria such an interesting find for scientist seeking extraterrestrial life? It changes everything we thought we knew about life. Now just because a planet doesn't have water, oxygen or some other life building compound doesn't mean life cannot exist. We are now able to broaden our search for life because we can now look for elements that normally didn't meet the criteria for supporting life(Arsenic).
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