By now you’ve likely heard about the bacterium discovered in California’s Mono Lake:
The study, published in the journal Science, demonstrates that one of the most notorious poisons on Earth can also be the very stuff of life for some creatures.
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“Life is mostly composed of the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus,” the researchers write in Science.
These six elements make up the nucleic acids — the A, C, T and G of DNA — as well as proteins and lipids. But there is no reason in theory why other elements should not be used. It is just that science never found anything alive that used them.
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.. it does suggest that astrobiologists looking for life on other planets do not need to look only for planets with the same balance of elements as Earth has.
“Our findings are a reminder that life-as-we-know-it could be much more flexible than we generally assume or can imagine,” said Wolfe-Simon.
Nishanta Rajakaruna, a professor of botany at College of the Atlantic, sent me UC Davis geologist Eldridge M. Moores’s list on why serpentine should remain the State Rock of California (background here). Why should you care? It’s simple:
When politicians make so-called “scientific” decisions based on nonsense, it’s our collective responsibility to call them out on it!
Alright, so what can you do? Judgment on the bill in question (SB624) happens this week, so if you live in CA, please email/call:
In light of California’s most recent faux pas, today’s guest commentary comes from California native David Lowry. David’s an extraordinary plant biologist working on the genetics of switchgrass as a postdoc at the University of Texas at Austin. (And yes I’m biased, he’s soon to be my husband).
Given the economic crisis has wreaked havoc to my beloved home state of California, why are our lawmakers spending any time on a horribly misguided quest to dethrone serpentine (pictured left) as the state rock?
A bit of background: Serpentine is commonly found in the hilly areas of California. It usually has a lovely smooth green or whitish tinge and its chemical composition has other characteristics fascinating to geologists, which I won’t detail here…except to include that some forms contain a small amount of asbestos, which leads us to our current predicament.
You all remember asbestos, right? That lung cancer-causing white powdery substance that closed down your school gym as a kid for a year when they discovered it in those flame-resistant tiles (which seemed like a good idea at the time) lining the ceiling. Yep, it’s nasty stuff. We know we don’t want it around and can move on, right? (more…)
Richmond, California (CNN) — Investigators say as many as 20 people were involved in or stood and watched the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a California high school homecoming dance Saturday night.
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As many as 10 people were involved in the assault in a dimly lighted back alley at the school, while another 10 people watched without calling 911 to report it, police said.
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The victim was found unconscious under a bench shortly before midnight Saturday, after police received a call from someone in the area who had overheard people at the assault scene “reminiscing about the incident,” Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan said.
As Chris says goodbye to Seattle, I’m headed home too after nearly a month living out of a suitcase. And while I’m excited to be on my own schedule again, Long Beach, California was a wonderful ending to the journey. This city is vibrant and fun with far more to offer than I anticipated. Most notably, George’s Greek Cafe, which not only has the most spectacular food, but also the friendliest staff and owner on the west coast.
Thanks so much to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a wonderful week among so many folks with innovative, interdisciplinary ideas toward improving oceans communication. It was especially fun to hang with Michael Mann off the blogosphere and I’m looking forward to picking up his latest book Dire Predictions, which sounds like a great read.
A lot happened while I was out west. There was a senator’s 250 nm move left and the President’s promise that 3% of the GDP would go to research in science and technology. And you can bet I was elated when the Obama administration overturned Bush’s eleventh-hour rule intended to weaken protections of the Endangered Species Act:
Passed in January 2009, the Bush-era rule lifted the requirement that federal agencies consult wildlife experts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before taking actions that could harm listed species. The Bush move allowed federal agencies to decide for themselves if their own projects, such as roads, dams and mines, would hurt species.
On a personal note, it’s also been a productive and busy week. I visited Bodega Marine Laboratory and enjoyed volunteering on some fascinating research in Boonville, California where cattle roamed around our field site. I also coincidentally met Mary Roach who is as delightful in person as she comes across on the pages of Bonk.
Today I’m back east in NYC with Chris to plan several upcoming events. While we’re wandering the city much of the afternoon, here’s a glimpse of the landscape out west I recorded using The Flip:
Is The Enemy
