Mono Lake, California, where the GFAJ-1 bacterium was identified in 2010. (Image credit: Alamy)
After 15 years of debate, a study that claimed to have found a microbe that uses arsenic as a food source has been retracted by the journal Science for misinterpreting and inaccurate data. However, the authors of the original study disagree with the decision.
The strain of the microbe, designated GFAJ-1, was isolated from arsenic-laden saltwater in Mono Lake, California, by a research team led by Felisa Wolf-Simon of NASA's Astrobiology Institute.
Wolf-Simon and her colleagues cultured GFAJ-1 in petri dishes, replacing phosphorus — a vital element of DNA — with arsenic, which is generally considered highly toxic to living things. Their results were published in the journal Science in 2010.
You may like
-
New research shows that never-before-seen 'extreme' microbes surrounded a NASA robot before it was sent to Mars 18 years ago.
-
Study raises important questions about Earth's 'oldest' impact crater
Sourse: www.livescience.com
