‘Arsenic life’ study hailed by NASA as breakthrough in astrobiology retracted by Science due to contamination and flawed data
After 15 years of debate, a study which announced the alleged discovery of a Arsenic eater microbe was retracted by the Revue Science due to contaminated and erroneous data. However, the authors of the original study do not agree with the move.
The microbe strain, labeled GFAJ-1, was recovered in the salt water from Lake Mono rich in arsenic in California by a research team led by Felisa Wolfe-Simon from the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
Wolfe-Simon and his colleagues grew up GFAJ-1 in Petri boxes while replacing phosphorus-a crucial component of DNA – with the arsenic, which is generally very toxic To living organizations, they reported. The team published its conclusions in the newspaper Science in 2010.
Before the release of the newspaper, NASA excited the discovery of say to the media He would hold a press conference “to discuss a conclusion in astrobiology which will have an impact on the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life”. Shortly after, the GFAJ-1 microbe discovery quickly became viral, and he was greeted as a Percée in astrobiology. This upset the understanding of biologists of the basic requirements of life, ostensibly proving that “arsenic life” was possible.
“What we have found is a microbe that does something new-building parts of itself in arsenic,” said Wolfe-Simon in a NASA Declaration 2010. “If something here on Earth can do something as unexpected, what else can we do that we have not yet seen?”
But criticisms of the study quickly sank, and when Science published the article in a 2011 printing issue, the original study was accompanied by eight technical comments from external experts highlighting the main scientific defects in methods and interpretations.
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In 2012, two studies Published in Science has tried to reproduce the eating results of the arsenic of Wolfe-Simon and his colleagues. Both studies Determined that the GFAJ-1 could tolerate high levels of arsenic but could not use it instead of phosphorus as a constitutive element for life.
Although the controversial study of “Arsenic life” has never been reproduced, it was not retracted because there was no fraud or deliberate fault. But in the past five years, science has started to retract documents for reasons other than fraud and misconduct. Thursday, July 24, Science decided to officially withdraw the study by Wolfe-Simon and his colleagues.
“One of Technical comments had stressed that the nucleic acids analyzed were not sufficiently purified “” ” Valda Vinsoneditor -in -chief of scientific journals, and Holden Thorpeditor -in -chief of scientific journals, wrote in a blog. “Given the proof that the results were based on contamination, Science believes that the key conclusion of the article is based on erroneous data. “”
However, the study authors do not support retraction.
“The disputes on the conclusions of the articles, including the way in which they are supported by the available evidence, make a normal part of the science process,” they wrote in a eletalso published Thursday. “Although our work has been written and discussed more in -depth, we support the data as indicated.”
