Posted by Kromey at 2:03pm Dec 2 '10If you thumb through an introductory biology textbook, you'll notice that six elements dominate the chemistry of life. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen are the most common. After that comes phosphorus, then sulfur. Most biologists will tell you that these six elements are essential; life as we know it cannot exist without them.[Source]
The recent discovery by Felisa Wolfe-Simon of an organism that can utilize arsenic in place of phosphorus, however, has demonstrated that life is still capable of surprising us in fundamental ways. The results of her research will appear in Dec. 2 issue of the journal Science.
I'm watching a panel about this discovery on NASA TV right now (link below). Wolfe-Simon herself is talking right now, and she's really, really melodramatic, but despite that it's quite interesting to listen to her process, her reasoning behind it, and her discovery. When the streaming video doesn't get stuck, that is...
Link: NASA TV