[K R Y]

NASA has scheduled a news conference for Thursday (2pm EST, 7pm GMT) to "discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life". Further details on the subject of the news conference have been embargoed. The vague nature of the announcement, its subject surrounding extraterrestrial life and also the list of conference participants has led to the NASA announcement creating a wave of excitement amongst bloggers across the internet.

The NASA announcement lists the news conference participants as follows:

- Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Felisa Wolfe-Simon, NASA astrobiology research fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
- Pamela Conrad, astrobiologist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
- Steven Benner, distinguished fellow, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Fla.
- James Elser, professor, Arizona State University, Tempe

It defines Astrobiology ss the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.

Science bloggers are awaiting the NASA news conference in excitement, speculating that it may be related to a discovery on Mars or one of Saturn's moons, Titan or Rhea.

NASA will broadcast the news conference live on NASA Television and on its website.

To view the NASA news conference live, follow this link to view streaming NASA TV online after 2pm EST / 5pm GMT.

http://www.onenewspage.com/news/Scie...gy-finding.htm

I'm assuming it will be a micro organism of some sort found on Mars, more than likely a fossil.

I'm not surprised at all that life outside of our own World has been found, in fact it's an absolute garauntee. But the fact that it has been found finally, is very, very exciting.

[Couchwarrior]

It will be interesting to hear, although I'm afraid it will probably be a bit like Dana's "big announcements". But a micro organism that doesn't seem to be related to terrestrial life would be absolutely huge.

[G_Land]

If it is a fossil that would be ginormis. But you can see the backlash from "the church"

[ACTAFOOL]

sweeet, now ppl cant call me crazy for believing in aliens

[Dan0]

This is huge! Biology books will have to be re-written now.

[box]

And non Evolution nuts will have to shove their mumbo jumbo up their.... Great news, but not surprising in the least to most sane people.

[enceledus]

I read about it earlier. It was a bacteria found here on earth (in a lake), but it's dna had arsenic in it instead of phosphorous. All known life on earth has phosphorous as well as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and carbon. What they found did not have phosphorous, but arsenic.

The assumption could be made that this bacteria is extraterrestrial.

[xeberus]

can't say im surprised, im not interested in whatever it is and it similarities to things on earth. just imagining the different evolutions that might have taken place being in a different environment.

also

lol@christians

[G_Land]

LOLZ indeed

[Couchwarrior]

False alarm it seems. It was just like enceledus said...

Originally Posted by enceledus

I read about it earlier. It was a bacteria found here on earth (in a lake), but it's dna had arsenic in it instead of phosphorous. All known life on earth has phosphorous as well as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and carbon. What they found did not have phosphorous, but arsenic.

The assumption could be made that this bacteria is extraterrestrial.

...except it's not like they suspect this actual microbe is extraterrestrial, but the fact that it can substitute phosphorous with arsenic means life can be more diverse than what has been assumed before, which heightens the possibility of extraterrestrial life.