Recent research from NASA has confirmed that there are organisms on earth that can thrive and reproduce amidst the toxic chemical arsenic. For most living things, arsenic is deadly and can cause severe health problems and genetic disruptions. However, this organism substitutes arsenic for phosphates in their cells, and can survive in disastrous conditions as a result.
Because of this molecule, scientists believe that there may be life in space that they did not recognize before. Since they know that not all life requires the same environmental basics, research will broaden as the search for life on other planets continues. New devices for locating life may be developed as well.
In the past, researchers understood that there were six main components essential for all life forms: phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen, and carbon. Although scientists understood that some organisms can breathe arsenic, they had never seen one building parts of itself from this otherwise toxic chemical. The strain of bacteria, known as GFAJ-1, is a stepping stone for scientists to uncover new life forms both on earth and in space. The bacteria thrives in a lake in Menlo Park, California, and has been tested in numerous laboratories. The organisms are able to grow and live even though phosphorus was only available in small amounts, and most of it was substituted with arsenic.
The lake from which the bacteria were extracted is highly alkaline and has high salinity as well. This is contributed to its isolation from freshwater sources for many years, and scientists believe that microorganisms have adapted to it despite high arsenic levels as well.






