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Author Topic: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical  (Read 3114 times)

Offline tschmidlin

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NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« on: December 02, 2010, 10:59:10 pm »
I can't believe no one here is talking about this . . .  :o

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/astrobiology_toxic_chemical.html
Tom Schmidlin

Offline euge

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2010, 11:16:20 pm »
A few people were talking about it at work. Arsenic as a building block of life...? Similar in size and just below phosphorus.

To me it is an indication or further evidence that life is probably everywhere- wherever it can get a toe-hold so to speak. I'm not even surprised by this.
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2010, 12:23:42 am »
No, it's not really surprising since it's long been theorized if only on a sci-fi level, but its really exciting to finally have some proof that different elements can be substituted for basic building blocks and still have functional biochemistry. :)
Tom Schmidlin

Offline punatic

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2010, 01:11:44 am »
No, it's not really surprising since it's long been theorized if only on a sci-fi level, but its really exciting to finally have some proof that different elements can be substituted for basic building blocks and still have functional biochemistry. :)

Say, perhaps, silicon having the same valence as carbon?

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Offline punatic

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2010, 01:15:44 am »
To me it is an indication or further evidence that life is probably everywhere- wherever it can get a toe-hold so to speak. I'm not even surprised by this.

Even a weazletoe-hold?!  Now that's scary!! (Life without pants!!!)
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Offline dbeechum

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2010, 12:00:19 pm »
See and this to me is why I love things like NASA. Critics always complain we spend too much money (when really, we spend a pathetic amount on NASA), but we get some bad ass s*** out of it and efforts that give us national pride!
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Offline Slowbrew

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2010, 02:17:39 pm »
I agree completely, Drew.  The amount we spend on basic research is pathetic now days.  If we don't do basic research we will never find the next big thing. 

I won't go any further than to point out that the Patent and Copyright systems need to go back to the original limits they had or private industry will not do any really unique work out of fear of infringement.

I'll go have a political argument with the voices in my head now 'cuz it doesn't belong here.

I was really hoping they were going to announce that we had made contact with the galactic central government and they were on the way to eat our leaders.   8)

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Offline oscarvan

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2010, 09:22:34 pm »
Cue the Reverend <insert name here> to explain why.....

No, I won't get this thread moderated.....but you know what I'm thinking.
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Offline beerocd

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2010, 09:32:56 pm »
I'm looking forward to the Wikileak that has the UFO stuff in it. That's one of the future planned releases of documents.
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Offline punatic

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2010, 10:54:28 pm »
I'm looking forward to the Wikileak that has the UFO stuff in it. That's one of the future planned releases of documents.

« Last Edit: December 03, 2010, 11:41:17 pm by punatic »
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2010, 01:45:23 am »
I'd love to see more funding for research obviously, it's hard to come by. ;D

I'm writing two grants now to try to get funded for after I graduate.  And that's to work on disease stuff, not the super cool beer research I want to be doing.  There's no money there :-\
Tom Schmidlin

Offline majorvices

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2010, 08:26:46 am »
See and this to me is why I love things like NASA. Critics always complain we spend too much money (when really, we spend a pathetic amount on NASA), but we get some bad ass s*** out of it and efforts that give us national pride!

On top of that my wife is a contractor for NASA so we need to fund it more or there will be a brewer who will have to go back to life behind a computer screen, and that would truly be travesty.

Offline oscarvan

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2010, 09:28:06 am »
I'd love to see more funding for research obviously, it's hard to come by. ;D

I'm writing two grants now to try to get funded for after I graduate.  And that's to work on disease stuff, not the super cool beer research I want to be doing.  There's no money there :-\

Dunno, there's a LOT of money being made brewing and selling beer....
I bet if you come up with some serious increases in efficiency or reduction in production times BMC would want to talk to you...
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Offline darvyle

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #13 on: December 05, 2010, 06:45:12 pm »
i great comic on the subject

http://xkcd.com/829/

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2010, 01:59:21 am »
I'd love to see more funding for research obviously, it's hard to come by. ;D

I'm writing two grants now to try to get funded for after I graduate.  And that's to work on disease stuff, not the super cool beer research I want to be doing.  There's no money there :-\

Dunno, there's a LOT of money being made brewing and selling beer....
I bet if you come up with some serious increases in efficiency or reduction in production times BMC would want to talk to you...
That's not exactly the "the super cool beer research I want to be doing" :)
Tom Schmidlin