Thread: “Alien” Life on Earth

NASA has discovered a microorganism in California’s Mono Lake which has replaced phosphorus with arsenic in its cell components. This is the first organism ever discovered to use arsenic in this manner, which expands the possibility for the search for life, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Until this discovery, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and [...]

It is amazing. When I was in school, we were taught that there were two Kingdoms, the Plant Kingdom that spanned the gamut from bacteria to trees; the Animal Kingdom that spanned the gamut from protozoa to human beings, and viruses which were not alive because they do not reproduce on their own. Today, we know that all of the forms of life that we were taught about when I was a student comprise only a tiny fraction of the life on Earth. That was before this latest discovery. Congratulations to the NASA researchers who made this discovery and to everyone who made their discovery possible. It truly is amazing.

To me, its not so suprising. I've always thought scientists were full of it when they said ting like "Any living organism needs X and Y to live" Bologna! Just because we havn't found one yet doesn't mean it does not or cannot exist. I feel they've only said these things because thats all we can find on earth, and to me its a big "Well DUH!" moment. If bacteria is capable of traveling here from Mars on a piece of ejecta from a meteor collision, then that tells me that life as a force is unstoppable. To assume that ALL forms of life needs X and Y, just because its common for life on earth to live seems a bit......nearsighted. I'll bet that somewhere out there there is some form of life that actually lives in outer space. Like Ian Malcom said "Life will find a way."