It is common knowledge that the element arsenic can be very deadly to most living life forms. Surprisingly, there have been new studies that show that arsenic can actually help certain bacterium survive, and in some cases, reproduce.
According to Biology News Net, research began on this subject when Mono Lake in California was examined closer. The lake has high levels of dissolved arsenic concentrations, and it is believed to have been formed from neighboring volcanic eruptions. The study done by Lawrence Liverpool National Laboratory, which was led by NASA, found that a bacterium isolated from Mono Lake can substitute phosphorus with arsenic to sustain its growth.
The six building blocks of living matter are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, which are all made up of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. These new studies show it is possible to replace one of the building blocks of life with something that is considered a poison. That shows that it is possible for organisms to live and survive on non-typical elements, so scientists have used this idea for the subject of life on other planets.
According to Biology News Net, research began on this subject when Mono Lake in California was examined closer. The lake has high levels of dissolved arsenic concentrations, and it is believed to have been formed from neighboring volcanic eruptions. The study done by Lawrence Liverpool National Laboratory, which was led by NASA, found that a bacterium isolated from Mono Lake can substitute phosphorus with arsenic to sustain its growth.
The six building blocks of living matter are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, which are all made up of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. These new studies show it is possible to replace one of the building blocks of life with something that is considered a poison. That shows that it is possible for organisms to live and survive on non-typical elements, so scientists have used this idea for the subject of life on other planets.
I thought this article was very interesting and thought provoking. If it is possible for bacteria to live off of this dangerous element, who’s to say that there aren’t other life forms who can live out in space on those uncommon elements.
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