NASA’s press conference revealed some freaky science today. Until now, it was thought that phosphorus, along with carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur, were essential for “life as we know it”.

Arsenic sits below phosphorus on the periodic table and shares many of its chemical properties. So, Dr. Felisa Wolf-Simon, a NASA astrobiology fellow at the United States Geological Survey in California, led an experiment to see if arsenic could replace phosphorus in bacterium. This bacterium was scraped from Mono Lake in California and grown for months in a lab mixture containing arsenic.

Their discovery opens up the possibility that organisms could exist elsewhere in the universe, using “biochemical powers we have not yet dared to dream about.” The bacterium was successfully trained to eat and grow on a diet consisting of arsenic in place of phosphorus.

The New York Times included this snippet in their article, which gives us something to chew on:

Gerald Joyce, a chemist and molecular biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., said the work “shows in principle that you could have a different form of life,” but noted that even these bacteria are affixed to the same tree of life as the rest of us, like the extremophiles that exist in ocean vents.

“It’s a really nice story about adaptability of our life form,” he said. “It gives food for thought about what might be possible in another world.”

Despite this taste for arsenic, the authors also reported, the GFAJ-1 strain grew considerably better when provided with phosphorus, so in some ways they still prefer a phosphorus diet. Dr. Joyce, from his reading of the paper, concurred, pointing out that there was still some phosphorus in the bacterium even after all its force-feeding with arsenic. He described it as “clinging to every last phosphate molecule, and really living on the edge.”

Dr. Joyce added, “I was feeling sorry for the bugs.” [READ THE FULL NY TIMES ARTICLE HERE]

I feel sorry for the bugs, too.

In an interesting reactionary post, Bryce Zabel, co-author of A.D.: After Disclosure, weighed in with his opinion of today’s conference:

Dear NASA… We like the Super-Tough Microbes, Yes, But…

Sometimes you just feel like you need to pull your fists out of the ceiling.

NASA should know better, and may, but still pretends it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the ruling elite of the media buy the whole story.

That story — today’s edition — concerns some microbes that can exist in the extremely salty, alkaline, arsenic-rich body of water in eastern California that’s known as Mono Lake. This stew should kill most living things, crushing any primitive will to live completely. This new life form uses arsenic in place of phosphorus to build DNA and proteins. Because Mono Lake is such an inhospitable environment for life, the storyline goes, this means that maybe we can find life in some places we might never have thought to look before. READ THE REST OF ZABEL’S POST

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Copyright © 2010 Cherlyn Gardner Strong

Read more of Cherlyn’s posts at her Paranormal Old Pueblo website

William Shatner has long been vocal about his belief in aliens. In a recent interview with the Montreal Gazette, he reiterated his opinion about extraterrestrials.

He said:

“There is no doubt that there is life out there; the mathematics of it lead you to that absolute conclusion. In my mind, there is no doubt that the universe teems – teems! – with life in all its forms. But why they would come visit here and not let themselves be known to everybody is beyond my sense of logic”.

He’s no Spock, that’s for sure! While he was at it, though, Shatner also offered an opinion about UFOs:

“Why would you fly the years or millenniums (it would take) to (get here)? Why wouldn’t they just land and say, ‘Here we are, we’re tired, got any ice cream?”

The former Captain Kirk has always been skeptical about those UFOs. Despite once saying he saw one, he did come clean about lying (his own word), in a New York Times interview (promoting his book) from 2008:

(New York Times): Later you confess to having lied about seeing UFOs when you crashed your motorcycle in the desert.
(William Shatner): Well, that’s true, but I tell the truth in the book. I tell the truth that I lied. I wonder what the philosophical implications are of that. I think that I do lie sometimes, but only to save feelings or my own skin.

Well, that is one amusing statement. However, let’s go back to that earlier statement about aliens flying “years or millenniums” to get to Earth. Does Shatner understand the concept of ‘warp speed’ that made it possible for the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to boldly go where no man has gone before?

Sure, we can’t do it now, but physicists think it may be possible. Since the universe is “teeming” with aliens, perhaps some of those aliens already found a way to make it possible. Through science, Earthlings just may figure out how to make it possible.

Two Baylor University Earthlings (researchers) were featured in a 2009 Science Daily article with their hypothesis regarding traveling at warp speed. They won’t know if it is possible for a while, but at least they are thinking about the possibilities.

Some basic concepts presented by Star Trek have already become reality in some form or another, if you think about it. Consider the articles all over the internet on the subject.

Here’s a good one from May 2010.

The people of Denver have a choice to make this November, since the government has failed once again.

Consider these words that helped to put Initiative 300 on the ballot:

“Since the U.S. Government continually refuses to openly and honestly deal with this matter and protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, we need to handle it at a more accessible and accountable level of government.”

This statement sounds like it came from Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, doesn’t it? Nope, it came from Jeff Peckman. You might even think that Peckman and Brewer are talking about the same thing. Well, similarities can be drawn, but no, they are not.

While Brewer is focused on an invasion of illegal aliens from Mexico during election time, Peckman is fighting for preparedness for a possible invasion from outer space.

On November 2nd, voters in Denver will decide whether to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. Peckman obtained more than enough valid signatures for this initiative to place it on the November ballot.

The Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission would consist of a seven person panel that would have many responsibilities, including:

Dealing with credible citizen reports of UFOs

Responsibly listening to, or documenting reports of, encounters or abductions regardless of the highly unusual and credible evidence

Referring such reports to private professional individuals and organizations that have dealt with such matters responsibly

Dealing with citizens that know of no place to turn for help on potentially traumatic experiences.

Peckman kicked off his voter education campaign this week. In an interview with Denver Daily News, Peckman said that he intends to “educate the voters with as many good facts as I can get in from of them when they’re paying attention.”

Additionally, he stresses that the commission will not cost taxpayers anything. The seven person panel would consist of knowledgeable experts who volunteer their time. Peckman added: “The commission would be funded entirely by grants, gifts and donations.”

Those outside of Denver who are interested in keeping up with the information presented during the Voter Education campaign, click here.