UPDATE2: 12/2/2010 10:15AM PST, NYT reports on this a full hour before the NASA news conference at 2PM EST (11AMPST) that it is in fact about arsenic microbes. – Anthony
UPDATE: It may not be so profound as I conjectured below after all. Our always sharp WUWT readers point me to articles in the Daily Mail (and also Telegraph blogs) which say it is more terrestrial in nature than extraterrestrial.
Nasa scientists are set to announce that bacteria have been discovered that can survive in arsenic, an element previously thought too toxic to support life, it can be revealed.
In a press conference scheduled for tomorrow evening, researchers will unveil the discovery of the incredible microbe – which substitutes arsenic for phosphorus to sustain its growth – in a lake in California.
The remarkable discovery raises the prospect that life could exist on other planets which do not have phosphorus in the atmosphere, which had previously been thought vital for life to begin.
But it seems like old news, as this paper from 2004 talks about microbes using Arsenic in Mono Lake: The microbial arsenic cycle in Mono Lake, California
There is also this earlier story from The Times, from May 2010 asking: Do alien life forms exist in a Californian lake? The scientist, Felisa Wolfe-Simon, quoted in that article, is also on the NASA press panel tomorrow. If they are indeed announcing arsenic microbes in Mono Lake, it sure seems like they waited a long time to do it, and the press release wording invites a lot of speculation.
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From NASA’s press release here there’s been a lot of buzz and speculation around the blogosphere on what may be announced tomorrow.
It may be mundane, such as they’ve found some building block of life in some comet or asteroid sampling mission, or they may have found evidence of life somewhere. I doubt it will be anything higher than microbe level if they do. Still, that would be fantastic news in itself. But after looking at the publications in the CV of one of the participants, James Elser of Arizona State University and his work in desert environments, plus Pam Conrad, co-author of a papers on Death Valley geology and how it pertains to Life signatures on Mars, I’m going to make a SWAG and offer that the press conference may have something to say about discovering the ingredients of and/or byproducts of life on Mars, via some samples from Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It is one possibility.
The other SWAG possibility I see is some discovery from the Cassini mission and Titan, Saturns’ largest moon, which has a chemical soup “smog”. Earlier this year on June 3rd, NASA made a press release titled:
What is Consuming Hydrogen and Acetylene on Titan?
Here’s the money quote:
“We suggested hydrogen consumption because it’s the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,” McKay said. “If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.”
But then there’s this:
“Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,” Allen said. “We have a lot of work to do to rule out possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process, without biology, can explain these results – for example, reactions involving mineral catalysts.”
I suppose if deep sea hydrothermal vents can support chemosynthetic bacteria using hydrogen sulfide for food, why not hydrogen and acetylene?
Of the two possibilities I cite, I’m thinking some announcement about Cassini and Titan has a higher probability. Maybe it will be somethings as simple as “we see signs of life on Titan, but we need more money to find out”.
We’ll find out in about 24 hours.
NASA Sets News Conference on Astrobiology Discovery; Science Journal Has Embargoed Details Until 2 p.m. EST On Dec. 2
WASHINGTON — NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 2, to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.
The news conference will be held at the NASA Headquarters auditorium at 300 E St. SW, in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website at http://www.nasa.gov.
Participants are:
– Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
– Felisa Wolfe-Simon, NASA astrobiology research fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
– Pamela Conrad, astrobiologist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
– Steven Benner, distinguished fellow, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Fla.
– James Elser, professor, Arizona State University, Tempe
Media representatives may attend the conference or ask questions by phone or from participating NASA locations. To obtain dial-in information, journalists must send their name, affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole at stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov or call 202-358-0918 by noon Dec. 2.
For NASA TV streaming video and downlink information, visit:
For more information about NASA astrobiology activities, visit:
– end –
re post by: James Bull says: December 1, 2010 at 11:37 pm
“It’s life Jim but not as we know it!”
James, shame on you! Stop referring to Mr. Spock that way, would ya?
NASA – Not Another Stupid Article
2001 Fern eats up arsenic
Scientists have discovered a fern that thrives on arsenic.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1146555.stm
2004 Arsenic metabolism of two species of arsenic-tolerant bacteria
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aoc.590040311/abstract?
The Arsenic Eaters
As documented in the mid-1800s, mountaineers of central Austria (Styria) made a habit of consuming arsenic preparations once or twice a week as a general stimulant and tonic. They became known as “arsenic eaters,” and some were reputed to have adopted the practice as a means of building up a tolerance against poisoning by their enemies. The acquisition of a modest degree of tolerance has, in fact, been documented in laboratory animals, but its physiological basis is not clear.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/metals/stories/arsenic.html
This is nothing more than a budget justification press release.
Worth noting that Mono Lake was the focus of a fairly big environmental battle back in the early ’80s. If it wasn’t for the National Audobon Society (in particular, but also others), the lake may well have been drained and this lifeform wiped out decades before its discovery.
This goes back to the days before the web, so there’s not much on line about it, but I found Google book extract.
kuhnkat says:
December 1, 2010 at 8:17 pm
WAIT A MINUTE!!! The United States EPA has official regulations limiting the amount of Arsenic in water. These Bugs better not be exceeding these limits or they are in BIG trouble.
Relax…. 1996 – Water comes clean with arsenic eaters
Researchers led by Michel Leblanc, who works for the French national research agency, CNRS, at the University of Montpellier, found the bacteria in a stream running through the abandoned Carnoules lead and zinc mine in the Cevennes mountains in southern France. The bacteria are thought to be strains of Thiobacillus and Leptothrix. They convert the soluble form of arsenic into a relatively stable, less toxic precipitate.
Water upstream of the colonies contains up to 300 milligrams of arsenic per litre30 000 times the WHO safety limit for drinking water. Water only two kilometres downstream has less than 0.4 milligrams per litre. In between, the sediment contains between 9 and 20 per cent arsenic.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15020252.800-science–water-comes-clean-with-arsenic-eaters.html
And here is the Christmas Gift everyone is dying to get their hands on….
Is Arsenic an Aphrodisiac? The Sociochemistry of an Element
William R Cullen (Author)
ISBN: 978-0-85404-363-7
Copyright: 2008
Format: Hardback
Extent: 428
Price: £66.99
http://www.rsc.org/shop/books/2008/9780854043637.asp
Answers in a plain brown envelope only please….
Its not that they can survive in arsenic, its that the “organism” was FORMED from arsenic. Meaning that phosphorous is not as important as nasa first thought in finding life. The announcement will be about re-surveying places that have been ruled out for containing life because probes didn’t find enough or no phosphorous, like the moons of saturn and jupitar. Mainly Titan
Is that a picture of ALH84001?
No life there.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/93akplcv7uk7yjak/fulltext.pdf
If the researchers had read past issues of the AMAs Journals of Bacteriology they would have dicovered several Genus and species of bacteria on good old Terra are not dependent on Carbon based metabolism.
Arsenic Microbes?? How desperate are these people for attention! Arsenic Microbes? That’s supposed to be big news? Come on!!
@alex
Not that they were FORMED from arsenic, that they could, potentially, incorporate arsenic into their DNA instead of phosphorus to upwards of 10% of the DNA. That means, 90% of the DNA still requires phosphorous, let alone all the other myriads of biochemical reactions that utilize phosphorus like ATP, the energy molecule.
Arsenic is just not stable at all in the presence of water. Also, I am very skeptical about the claims, as there is no DEFINITIVE proof that the arsenic detected was actually in the DNA. Metals, like arsenic, are very good at “sticking” to biomolecules, and DNA could easily be chelating the arsenic between the bases in a non biologically relevant way; just as DNA does to copper if exposed to it, and many other heavy metals. This would cause the metal to be carried with the DNA though any processing methods, unless specific metal chelators are used (which were not stated by the lab in question. An extreme oversight as this is a fundamental check that should have been done and trumpeted. But, perhaps it was and the news is just poor at reporting the really important info).
Additionally, no method to completely remove phosphorous was used. Not only could there be trace phosphors in the media, but on the very beakers themselves, and even introduced by the handling of the materials by the people. Phosphor, like calcium, is everywhere. The only way to get rid of it below the levels useable by microbes is to chelate the heck out of it as the day is long. I am sure there are specific phosphorous chelators out there they could have used.
Finally, even if arsenic is being used in the DNA backbone of these buggers up to 10%, there must be serious stabilization proteins or other molecules protecting those DNA regions, as simple chemistry gives any sort of arsenic compound a half life in the range of MINUTES before it is hydrolized into pieces by water. This is a hard fact of the chemistry of arsenic, and you aren’t going to change it any more than you can change the physical constant of gravity on this planet. I’m sure there could be ways to stabilize an arsenic DNA backbone in the context of chromatin, but once it’s been liberated and run on a gel for extraction? There shouldn’t have been any solid DNA left to analyze. Again, pointing to non specific association of the metal with the DNA, which is again a well known and common occurrence for DNA with a variety of metals.
But, if, just if, what they are reporting is all true, it is a huge discovery for the implications of how biochemistry trickery can be performed and life can adapt. Arsenic is a poison for a reason; so until a clear mechanism is shown and further tests involving chelators are done, at the least, I will remain skeptical of their results. No less interesting though, to have these bacteria that can survive in nutrient depleted conditions with rife amounts of arsenic around, however!
Oh, and this is NOT a new form of life in ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. These guys have the normal 16S ribosomal RNA as everyone else, which is how they could be sequenced and put on the tree of life. They are normal microbes that have adapted to extreme arsenic conditions, maybe even so much so as to be able to “temporarily” use arsenic in DNA until phosphorous becomes available again for use. Notice that the bacteria can grow just the same between the two substrates in the growth media.
If arsenic had been obligatory, then that would really have been interesting, but it isn’t. It doesn’t need arsenic, it can simply tolerate it in perhaps a new and novel way.
Does this mean that in the interest of promoting biodiversity, arsenic-poisoned toxic waste sites will now become protected nature preserves?
The Sierra Club will blow a gasket over that.
Ok, I admit to mixed feelings now and not quite a dissappointed as I thought I’d be yesterday if this was the announcement.
The little beasties do look fatter and happier on arsenic, don’t they? Or, who knows, maybe they’re just more bloated. {VBG} I do wonder at the comparative efficiency in this same bug when they’re living on arsenic v. phosphorus. Imagine we’ll be hearing all sorts of interesting tidbits along those lines before long.
So, yes, other mini-critters live off of or use arsenic in their metabolism as has been known for a long time. I suspected yesterday that I was missing some aspect of this that would make it worthy of the attention it was getting, and now I get it, this bug isn’t just using it peripherally in their metabolism, but actually replacing one of the very few base elements we’ve always thought had to be present for a life form (well, that is, outside of speculation and science fiction, where we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed trying to conceive of how biochemistry might work otherwise). So…. ok, the older known arsenic bugs don’t have that little trick in their bag – or at least, we didn’t THINK that they did. I imagine now a lot of extremophiles will be examined far more closely to see just what they may be pulling off inside that we hadn’t realized.
This also, of course, takes the idea and theoretical speculation of possible life on planets (or in areas here on Earth) without phosphorus into the realm of quite reasonable investigation. I’m sure another good effect will be spurring folks to look for elements other than arsenic that other life here on earth may be substituting in where we hadn’t thought possible too.
Well, I’m not saying much new so I’ll quit rambling.
Oh – I do wonder if the other known arsenophiles can live without access to large amounts of arsenic. In other words, for at least some of them, I wonder if their metabolism or photosynthesis is dependent on arsenic… or if they’re flexible and just make do with it when whatever they normally use is unavailable or in short supply….
re post by Malaga View says: December 2, 2010 at 8:07 am
Water upstream of the colonies contains up to 300 milligrams of arsenic per litre30 000 times the WHO safety limit for drinking water. Water only two kilometres downstream has less than 0.4 milligrams per litre. In between, the sediment contains between 9 and 20 per cent arsenic.
Thanks for this info Malaga View – that’s some pretty impressive transformation rates.
re post by Ged Darkstorm says: December 2, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Not that they were FORMED from arsenic, that they could, potentially, incorporate arsenic into their DNA instead of phosphorus to upwards of 10% of the DNA. That means, 90% of the DNA still requires phosphorous, let alone all the other myriads of biochemical reactions that utilize phosphorus like ATP, the energy molecule. ….
Ged, where did you get your info related to arsenic incorporation in this bug please? From the looks of the cell cultures, the species grew better in arsenic than phosphorus. The video clip, while not all that clear, certainly makes it look as if all of the phosphorus in the DNA backbone was replaced with arsenic, as it was in NADH, ATP, AcetylCoA, etc. I’m trying to follow the link on that announcement page to the associated research, but am getting a server error.
The NASA press release is at http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/dec/HQ_10-320_Toxic_Life.html – in part:
Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components.
Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the six basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth. Phosphorus is part of the chemical backbone of DNA and RNA, the structures that carry genetic instructions for life, and is considered an essential element for all living cells.
Phosphorus is a central component of the energy-carrying molecule in all cells (adenosine triphosphate) and also the phospholipids that form all cell membranes. Arsenic, which is chemically similar to phosphorus, is poisonous for most life on Earth. Arsenic disrupts metabolic pathways because chemically it behaves similarly to phosphate.
“We know that some microbes can breathe arsenic, but what we’ve found is a microbe doing something new — building parts of itself out of arsenic,” said Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA astrobiology research fellow in residence at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and the research team’s lead scientist. “If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected, what else can life do that we haven’t seen yet?”
The newly discovered microbe, strain GFAJ-1, is a member of a common group of bacteria, the Gammaproteobacteria. In the laboratory, the researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet that was very lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of arsenic. When researchers removed the phosphorus and replaced it with arsenic the microbes continued to grow. Subsequent analyses indicated that the arsenic was being used to produce the building blocks of new GFAJ-1 cells.
Curiousgeorge at 1.02 pm asks what effect an extraterrestrial microbe would have for religion. In my protestant/molecular biologist’s opinion, nothing fundamental would be affected. We already have vast varieties of non-human life on earth. If you can believe in a faith under those conditions, what difference would some ET microbes make? Nor would even intelligent aliens necessarily prove or disprove anything fundamental here. Suppose such aliens had beliefs similar to mine. This would be easy for me to accept. But a sceptic will say: this just proves that minds evolving on different planets tend to come up with similar ideas.
Thank you Ric. I’d actually gotten that part, and watched the short video beneath it (cannot believe it has no narration). It was the link to more info that I was having troubles with but I’ve since been able to access it also – not much more info there. None of it seems to support or provide the details that Ged posted, however, which is why I’m wondering where he got the info.
Having read the NASA press release, I have to say I’m pretty ticked off that they are touting this as an entirely new discovery (by NASA) without mention of the 2004 academic paper.
In a press conference today, a spokespore for the microbe colony anounced how excited they were about the discovery of finding such a large organism such as NASA in a lake containing arsenic. However, the colony was divided as to whether this discovery constituted an extra-lake lifeform. Before the spokespore could respond, the colony divided again. The bacterial scientists are currently seeking funding for their research from various ant poison companies. ( big ant).
Sorry guys, couldn’t resist it. 🙂
Rob Huber says:
December 2, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Having read the NASA press release, I have to say I’m pretty ticked off that they are touting this as an entirely new discovery (by NASA) without mention of the 2004 academic paper.
——————————-
Yeah, the press release is really lame, especially this part:
“The key issue the researchers investigated was when the microbe was grown on arsenic did the arsenic actually became incorporated into the organisms’ vital biochemical machinery, such as DNA, proteins and the cell membranes. A variety of sophisticated laboratory techniques were used to determine where the arsenic was incorporated.”
The Introduction and Experimental Procedures is summarized, but then they don’t say anything about the Results and Discussion. What were the results, pray tell ?? Does anyone know if the arsenic was actually incorporated at any level into DNA ?? Was there a press conference where this was discussed ?? If this was the case, then that would be a major discovery, and a huge advancement on the 2004 paper.
OK, found the actual abstract:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2010/12/01/science.1197258
Looking forward to reading the whole paper.
Straight from the paper:
“Stationary phase cells incorporated approximately a tenth of the total
intracellular (73)AsO4(3-) label into nucleic acids but more than
three quarters of the (73)AsO4(3-) into the phenol extracted
“protein” fraction, with a small fraction going into lipids. We
caution that the large “protein” fraction is probably an
overestimate, as this extraction step likely contains numerous
small, non-proteinaceous metabolites as well.”
Oh, wanted to post this too:
“However, GFAJ-1 is not an obligate arsenophile and it grew
considerably better when provided with P (Fig. 1A, B).
Although AsO4(3-) esters are predicted to be orders of
magnitude less stable than PO4(3-) esters, at least for simple
molecules (8), GFAJ-1 can cope with this instability. The
vacuole-like regions observed in GFAJ-1 cells when growing
under +As/-P conditions are potentially poly-β-
hydroxybutyrate rich [as shown in other Halomonas species
(19)] which may stabilize As(V)-O-C type structures because
non-aqueous environments appear to promote slower
hydrolysis rates for related compounds (8). We propose that
intracellular regions or mechanisms that exclude water may
also promote this stability.”
“Table 1. Bulk intracellular elemental profile of strain GFAJ1.*
(% dry weight)
Condition (n) As P As:P
+As/-P (8) 0.19 ± 0.25 0.019 ± 0.0009 7.3
-As/+P (4) 0.001 ± 0.0005 0.54 ± 0.21 0.002
*Cells grown and prepared with trace metal clean techniques (11). Number in parentheses indicates replicate samples
analyzed.”