Possibilities for Alien Life

Hello Troops,
A bit of scientific news I found interesting about arsenic eating bacterium. This discovery means that life is more robust than previously thought. This means that life is capable of taking hold in more hostile environments.

My personal opinion, I believe life is abundant in the universe. I believe where ever we find liquid water we will also find life.

What an exciting time to be alive. We are lucky.

Mr. W.

And now the article.

Possibilities for Alien Life
By Henry Bortman
Astrobiology Magazine

One of the basic assumptions about life on Earth may be due for a revision. Scientists have discovered a type of bacteria that thrives on poisonous arsenic, potentially opening up a new pathway for life on Earth and other planets.

If 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.

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.

Wednesday

Portugal, For all Those that Don't Know Geography.
Yea, Its in Europe.
Good Grief.....

Hello Troops,
Three more "Cry from the Dark's" yesterday. The Ferengi character is hard on my voice. You know the one, "You're a lier and a poor one at that!" Yea, now you remember :) Towards the end of the mission the ship flies past a star with companion black hole connected by a swirl of star matter. One boy from Greenwood Elementary said loud enough to hear "That looks like Portugal!"
Jon and I got a kick out of that one. Talk about random. I've since looked at the shot repeatedly and have come to the conclusion that the boy has no clue what Portugal looks like, or where it is on the globe.

It's always satisfying to hear the comments from the kids before, during and after our missions. They really are, for the most part, blown away by the whole thing. I must hear the word "Sick" used a least a dozen or more times a day, along with dozens of other adjectives kids use these days to describe awesomeness.

And on today's menu, missions and more missions. And for dessert, more missions. All in a day's work at the Space Center.

Finally, a few things to ponder as you start (or end) your day.

And where are you in this diagram?

Great Idea. Can we include obnoxious campers and students?

It speaks for itself.

This is so true. Every month I buy dozens of pens for our pen box at the Space Center. By the end of every month most are gone. Nobody knows where they went - they're just gone. I'm talking hundreds of pens not just a few dozen. Gone. It is the biggest unsolved mystery at the Center.

Tuesday

Hello Troops,
We had a good return to work yesterday. There were no turkey hangovers and the kids from Greenwood Elementary School did a fantastic job with "A Cry from the Dark". A special thanks to Kyle Herring, Gordan and Alex for a quick, expedited Phoenix chair repair over the holiday. The floor had to be pulled up and the chair welded and attached to the cement.

The December volunteering and working list is posted. That was my major accomplishment yesterday. We have a pool of fantastic volunteers living along the Wasatch Front and I'm grateful for the time and effort they put into volunteering. The volunteers are the live blood of the Center.

A couple pictures for today.

If it was only that easy

It all starts with Imagination. I've preached it my whole life and will never stop.

And Finally, My Picture of the Day. How Awesome is This!
Bet Mom wasn't too happy about it.