The GFAJ-1 microoorganism was cultured and discovered by Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA astrobiology fellow in residence at the US Geologic Survey in Menlo Park, California. The organism was isolated and cultured beginning in 2009 from sediments she and her colleagues collected along the shore of Mono Lake, California, U.S.A.[2] Mono Lake is hypersaline and highly alkaline. It also has one of the highest natural concentrations of arsenic in the world (200 μM).[3] The discovery was widely publicized on December 2, 2010.
Dec 2, 2010
Astrobiology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On December 2, 2010 it was announced the discovery of a terrestrial extremophile bacterium (GFAJ-1) that uses the usually poisonous element arsenic in place of phosphorus.[32] The find gives weight to the long-standing idea that life on other planets may have a radically different chemical makeup and may help in hunt for alien life.
Arsenic-munching germ redefines "life as we know it" - Yahoo! News
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Maggie Fox, Health And Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A strange, salty lake in California has yielded an equally strange bacterium that thrives on arsenic and redefines life as we know it, researchers reported on Thursday. The bacteria do not merely eat arsenic -- they incorporate the toxic element directly into their DNA, the researchers said. The finding shows just how little scientists know about the variety of life forms on Earth, and may greatly expand where they should be looking for life on other planets and moons, the NASA-funded team said. "We have cracked open the door to what is possible for life elsewhere in the universe," Felisa Wolfe-Simon of the NASA Astrobiology Institute and U.S. Geological Survey, who led the study, told a news conference.
Poison-Based Bacteria Redefines Life As We Know It
Arsenic is an element that is deadly to most living creatures, but bacteria living in California's Lake Mono thrive on it. Today NASA explains how those poison-eating organisms are changing the way we search for extraterrestrial life.
BBC News - Eminem leads Grammy nominations
UK acts including Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons and Susan
BBC News - Web bug reveals browsing history
BBC News - Coca leaves first chewed 8,000 years ago, says research
Peruvian foraging societies were already chewing coca leaves 8,000 years ago, archaeological evidence has shown. Ruins beneath house floors in the northwestern Peru showed evidence of chewed coca and calcium-rich rocks. Such rocks would have been burned to create lime, chewed with coca to release more of its active chemicals.
BBC News - Index finger length prostate cancer clue
BBC News - Carla Bruni praises Pope over condoms on World Aids Day, Dec 02, 2010
French first lady Carla Bruni has publicly thanked Pope Benedict for saying the use of condoms to prevent HIV/Aids may be justified.
She said in an interview to mark World Aids Day that she was "astonished, surprised and grateful" for the Pope's remarks, publicised last month.
"I think this is quite an enormous step towards something very new," President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife said.
info@als-alexander.org or interalex1@yahoo.com 
BBC Sport - Football - World Cup vote live - decision day
Fifa will name the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Zurich on Thursday, with the US - hoping to stage the tournament for the first time since 1994 - in the running for 2022. Sport
BBC News - Wikileaks: Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa blamed for killings
A US envoy believed the president of Sri Lanka bore responsibility for an alleged 2009 massacre of Tamils, suggest cables obtained by Wikileaks.The claim was reported in a message from the US envoy in Colombo.It comes as Sri Lanka's parliament was
BBC News - Egypt Muslim Brotherhood 'quits election'
Egypt's main opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood says it is withdrawing its candidates from the election run-off, reports say. The Islamist movement, which is banned but runs candidates as independents, failed to win a single seat in Sunday's first round.
BBC News - Cuba begins public debate on economic reforms
BBC News - Wikileaks founder Julian Assange faces new warrant
Swedish authorities have issued a fresh arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange following a procedural error with the first.
The detention order for Mr Assange, who is believed to be in Britain, concerns alleged sexual crimes during a visit
BBC News - Qantas begins legal action against Rolls-Royce
Qantas has begun legal action against the engine supplier Rolls-Royce following the explosion of an engine on one of the airline's Airbus A380s.
It said the legal action was back-up in case a settlement could not be reached.
BBC News - Ivory Coast election: Alassane Ouattara office attacked
BBC News - Snow leaves travellers facing further severe disruption
Travellers across parts of the UK face further misery as airports, roads and rail continue to be badly hit by snow.
The closure of Gatwick Airport has been extended until at least 0600 GMT on Friday, after a further heavy snowfall.
NASA’S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT | Weekly World News
NASA has stated that they will make a big announcement over on Thursday, December 2nd, 2010, at 2 PM Eastern time.
WWN has inside sources at NASA and has learned that they will announce that
Today News, World
| Ivory Coast Election Body 'Still Working' on Results BusinessWeek By Pauline Bax and Olivier Monnier Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Ivory Coast's election commission said it was still tabulating ballots from the country's Nov. 28 presidential runoff, missing a key deadline amid calls from international groups to announce a ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| Further weather chaos for Europe BBC News Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures are set to cause another day of disruption on road and rail networks, and at airports across northern Europe. Temperatures dropped to as low as -26C (-14.8F) in Poland, where eight people died of exposure. ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| Opposition cries foul in Egypt Pittsburgh Post Gazette CAIRO -- Egypt's top two opposition movements on Wednesday pulled out of parliamentary elections after they were all but shut out in a first round of voting, in a surprise response to widespread allegations of fraud. The move by the fundamentalist ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
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| Spain Reveals Plan to Reduce Its Giant Debt New York Times By RAPHAEL MINDER MADRID — The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, introduced measures Wednesday intended to distance Spain from Ireland and other ailing European countries. Mr. Zapatero said the state would sell stakes in several ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| Belarus agrees to give up its stock of weapons-grade uranium Washington Post By Glenn Kessler and Mary Beth Sheridan ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN - In a surprise victory for President Obama's campaign to secure nuclear material worldwide, the government of Belarus announced Wednesday that it will give up its stock of highly enriched ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| U.S. sees time for Iran diplomacy, says sanctions bite Reuters By David Lawder and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday there is still time for a diplomatic solution with Iran but the increasingly defiant state must take "tangible steps" to address concerns about its nuclear ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| China, Brazil Say Debate on Kyoto Accord Threatens Climate Talks Bloomberg By Alex Morales and Kim Chipman - Thu Dec 02 06:29:23 GMT 2010 China and Brazil led developing nations in saying Japan's refusal to help extend the Kyoto Protocol to curb greenhouse gas emissions may halt work on a global accord to combat global ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| Passport ring served terrorists, police say Boston Globe By Raphael Minder and J. David Goodman MADRID — Police in Spain and Thailand arrested 10 people suspected of operating a counterfeiting network that provided fake European passports to terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda in order to smooth their entry ... See all stories on this topic » | ||||||||
| Suu Kyi sees role as facilitator of network for Myanmar democracy Monsters and Critics.com Singapore - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said she wanted to act as a facilitator for an international network to promote democracy in her military-ruled country, a Singapore news report said Thursday. The 65-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, ... See all stories on this topic »
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LIFESTYLE News, Dec 02, 2010
Creative Loafing Sarasota (blog)
Mame Based on the novel Auntie Mame, the dramatic bohemian Mame Dennis's eccentric lifestyle is interrupted when her late brother's son is entrusted to her ...
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