Researchers are about to make a public announcement of a new life form that has been found in Mono Lake in California. This is a poisonous lake that is found at the base of Yosemite that contains significant amounts of arsenic -- a metal that is essentially toxic to humans in anything but very small amounts. These new findings have set the scientific community abuz because its discovery will alter the thinking of the origins of life. In the case of this new life form one of the six elements that generally make up life forms as we have previously known it has been replaced by arsenic which brings up an important issue about pollution. How are the activities of man which produces areas where heavy metals become elevated than is commonly found in nature influencing life and the "evolution" of it? Earlier last week, I posted that heavy metals increase the potential for bacterial resistance which is an important consideration for public health. Now, one must also consider in relation to this discovery that heavy metals could play an important role in the creation of this new life form and therefore, potentiation of the "evolution" of life becomes an important issue to consider from heavy metal pollution. Personally, I am not sure we have the "technology" yet to adequately face this "demon".
Several weeks ago, I noted how sulfide mining can produce environments similar to what biologists call "hot spots" where environmental factors are in place that force "adaptive changes" in organisms. In this case, sulfide mining could be comparable to a "small" Yosemite and poisonous Mono Lake. On the other hand, sulfide mining is different because while Mono Lake is considered "contained" --no one can predict how far the pollution from acid mine drainage will spread by water or by air during evaporation.
While some scientists may be excited by the discovery of a new life form -- it also raises the issue of concern for adaptive biologists, anthropologists and public health workers because most organisms on earth may not be able to effectively "adaptive" to the existence of these kinds of "new organisms"!
As Dorothy might have said in the classic movie Wizard of Oz,,,,,"Toto, I want to go back to Kansas! Things seemed ordinary and familiar there!"
Cheng, H., Hu, Y., Luo, J., Xu, B., and Zhao, J. (2009). Geochemical processes controlling fate and transport of arsenic in acid mine drainage (AMD) and natural systems. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 165(1-3):13-26. http://www.citeulike.org/user/HEIRS/article/8352070
National Resource Defense Counsil. Arsenc in Drinking Water. http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qarsenic.asp
"Life as we don't know it' discovery could prove existence of aliens. Richard Alleyne. The Telegraph. December 3, 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8174040/Life-as-we-dont-know-it-discovery-could-prove-existence-of-aliens.html
NASA find New Life Form. Jesus Diaz. Wired Science. http://networkedblogs.com/bmZS7
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