2 ms·
Well, this would certainly fit the pattern of NASA's previous "big announcements". Everybody speculates and guesses, says it's little green men, but in the end
by jff 16y ago
Well, this would certainly fit the pattern of NASA's previous "big announcements". Everybody speculates and guesses, says it's little green men, but in the end it's just an interesting discovery which technically relates to their teaser announcement.
They tell us they've discovered something regarding extraterrestrial life. Then it turns out they mean "We found bacteria that like arsenic, here on Earth". Sure, we see where you're going, but in the end everyone is going to hate you, NASA, for making a huge fuss and then hitting us with a biological whimper, not an extraterrestrial bang.
- lukeschlather 16y agoLiving organisms that aren't based on something resembling DNA/RNA would be just as big a deal as extraterrestrial life, and I don't think the labeling of such organisms as 'alien' is misdirection. Now, if it proves that they're merely DNA/RNA based organisms that happen to metabolize arsenic, that would be a biological whimper, as yes, they're just an earlier branch in the evolutionary tree. However something that appears not to share a common ancestor with the rest of life on the planet would be a huge deal.