NASA announces new form of life

Today NASA announced that an organism that exists on Earth was found to not need Phosphorous, thought to be required for life. Using Arsenic instead, this could mean life could exist in conditions observed on Titan for instance, the largest moon in our solar system, whose environment is balanced in chemistry to this potential.



Actual Bacteria used in the experiment


Taken from the mud of Mono Lake California, this bacteria was deprived of Phosphorous and introduced to an Arsenic rich artificial environment. The finding is that the bacterial organism (pictured below) was able to spontaneously adapt to the artificial Phosphorous-free environment. This has huge implications.



Mono Lake CA

Some implications locally for us are that bio energy production that was thought to depend on Phosphorous, which is not as plentiful as Arsenic, and might be part of bacterial energy production schemes in the future. Bioreactors or Biodigesters that output pure fuels from waste are essentially bacteriological.

I have been personally been working with people and scientists whom have built and patented actual proven Bioconversion models. Bacteria, or more specifically Archaeons or advanced bacteria, are used in a closed anaerobic containers to convert almost anything (oils, paper, biowaste, agri-waste) to bio-gases (CNG or "natural gas") and nutrients for super non-chemical agricultural application. The science is new, yet ancient, and it is conceivable this new organism could perform with some advantage to conventionally used organisms.

Bacteria comprises most of the biomass of the Earths living biosphere It is actually in rock deep in the Earth as well as in forest, deserts, deep ocean and all living environments in the biosphere. We are all made largely from bacteriological living organisms.

Did you know you have10 living microbes per cell in your body?

So, we humans and other lifeforms are mostly microbes, or bacterial colonies! For instance, one of these microbes in your cells is Mitochondria. (shown below) They are the energy reactors for our cells. These generate all your energy provided by food and liquid nutrients. So we all have millions of bioreactors in our bodies already. It is logical then to exploit such energy potentials for our other needs as well for city and local needs.




The implication for the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, and more locally, as in Saturns moon, Titan's ecosystem is maybe a larger implication, but might not be a priority of importance to us now, but it is actually quite important to our search for life outside Earths biosphere. Now we will be able to recognize such life when we see it.

Many might be disappointed NASA did not announce any actual discovery of extraterrestrial life, but for our ability to recognize and understand alien life when we do find it, this was a significant leap in our understanding. Not to mention future implications of biofuels development.

Archaeons, might however be the aliens we have overlooked. As the first organisms on Earth, it is likely according to scientists, these super bacteria, that are to regular bacteria like we are to cattle, likely came to Earth billions of years ago in ancient asteroidal or cometary impacts, called Panspermia. If true, and it is quite likely, all life started from alien bacteria from uncounted worlds outside our solar system. Meaning that life is likely everywhere in the universe that accommodates a resource of mineral and chemical or "planetary" resource.

This finding shows then how tenacious and far reaching life is in its forms, adapting to conditions we might never have believed possible before. It enhances the real possibility for life throughout the galaxy and all galaxies beyond.

ZG

Just read the news. Somewhat of a let down, makes me wonder what discoverys they have that they do not pass on to us mortals.
Spike

reply to post by ZeroGhost


Are they talking about biofarming like with algea?

reply to post by ExPostFacto


Algae is a larger organism, (Algae has the same microbial forms in it's cells), but the theory is the same. Using lifeforms in colonies that consume waste or plentiful resources to create other molecules in gases or liquid forms we can use is a good idea, and is sustainable. As opposed to oil or nuclear dirty methods. Incorporating Algae, Bacteria and even wind, Hydro and tide energy schemes could give us a sustainability within a decade or two if we took the effort seriously.

Think about this.
It eats waste and makes "clean" energy. That is a loop system that defines sustainability.

So yes actually, but no specifically.


ZG

Saw an article about this earlier on Wired...

Absolutely awesome news. I have maintained that if there was to be some sort of 'disclosure', it won't be like people think, it will be through finding more earth like planets and new 'extreme' microorganisms and ecosystems for them.

Great thread, and keep up the good work on sustainability!

Send letters to universities, get some undergrads to pursue it, spread the wealth...

Thanks.

It is an amazing truth of life that LIFE will find a way. They found fungas growing in the abandoned nuclear reactor at Chenoble, and now they are using Fungi to clean up nuclear waste. It is some fungi's favourite food!