T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S A T A R L I N G T O N
Tuesday
December 7, 2010
Volume 92, No.
58
www.
theshorthorn.
com
Since 1919
Since 1919
BY VIDWAN RAGHAVAN
The Shorthorn staff
While arsenic might be a poison
to humans, the chemical is a part...
More
T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S A T A R L I N G T O N
Tuesday
December 7, 2010
Volume 92, No.
58
www.
theshorthorn.
com
Since 1919
Since 1919
BY VIDWAN RAGHAVAN
The Shorthorn staff
While arsenic might be a poison
to humans, the chemical is a part of
life for a newly discovered bacterium.
On Dec.
2, NASA researchers announced their discovery of a bacterium that uses arsenic in place of
phosphorus in its DNA and other
biomolecules in Mono Lake, Calif.
The key finding is the organism’s
ability to stabilize arsenic in a way not
thought possible.
An understanding
of the process may provide insight
into certain diseases such as cancer,
biology associate professor Michael
Roner said.
All organisms on earth use a
combination of six elements for life:
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
sulfur and phosphorus.
Roner said in
extreme conditions, every organism
on earth that exists uses phosphates
asabuildingblockforlife.
ButGFAJ1, the name of the bacterium, doesn’t.
“This organism
Less
