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"The definition of life has just expanded"
David_Dovey:
To me the most important and awesome consequence of this discovery is that it means that it has changed how we will search for extraterrestrial life in future. It used to be that when it was thought that it took oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur and phosphorous to make life, and that that was the only way to make life, that was what was being searched for on other planets. Now arsenic is in the mix, and because it seems the reason phosphorous was so easily replaced by arsenic is because of their similar atomic weights, it becomes plausible that there are many other elements that'd do the job as well. I really don't think it's hyperbole to call this a game changer, it's basically throwing the doors wide open with regards to what constitutes life and how this affects the odds that there really is something else out there.
jhocking:
--- Quote from: Ozymandias on 03 Dec 2010, 09:34 ---It's really cool, but not destroying the fundamental basis of organic chemistry here.
--- End quote ---
I know what you mean here but just a little semantic quibble: organic chemistry is not actually the chemistry of living things. That would be biochemistry. Organic chemistry is basically defined as "the chemistry of carbon compounds" (like the chemistry behind oil or alcohol or drugs.) So pretty much by definition organic chemistry wouldn't be changed by discovering new life forms.
KharBevNor:
What about orgasmic chemistry.
I can expand the definition of that if anyone wants to roll around to my Fortress of Love.
KharBevNor:
Come on in yeaaaaaah.
Akima:
--- Quote from: KharBevNor on 04 Dec 2010, 07:39 ---Come on in yeaaaaaah.
--- End quote ---
That might be the scariest image I've seen this week. I bet the algae have already become sentient, and they'll be applying to join the UN next Thursday.
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