Scientists: NASA’s alleged discovery of arsenic-based life is crap

Hot Air ^ | 9:28 pm on December 7, 2010 | Allahpundit

[PapaBear3625]

NASA’s the same agency that’s hot and heavy on Global Warming.

[SE Mom]

This is pitiful.

Whenever I drive along Route 1 around Titusville I can almost feel the ghosts of the glory days of NASA...and it’s a wonder- such great men- such great times they were. Hard to know what’s going on there now- if it’s The Left Stuff or a corruption of The Right Stuff.

[Wizdum]

It must be hard to be a scientist. Long hours over a microscope. Days of calculations with strange formulas. Little pay. No recognition. There is always a temptation to see a breakthrough discovery where there is really none.

Well, it can be pretty fun spending lots of other people's money to find out something doesn't work.

The downside is you don't get laid a lot.

[no-to-illegals]

My second thought (of the first article) was I had heard the earlier news of redefining life as we know it, before. Now this article has scientists who disagree with the original conclusion of redefining life as we know it. Such is the way of all our lives, God knows, we remain confused. Each of us sometimes runs in the wrong direction to believe what we choose, only to have our choice shown as incorrect. Thank you for posting this article. It speaks well, of the knowledge contained within this forum, and the intelligence level of all who participate here in this FreeRepublic.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

AMEN Brother!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Sorry...I missed seeing that!

[dangerdoc]

When contacted for a response, a NASA official was heard to chant allah akbar and complain about how this was going to affect the self esteem of disenfranchised children around the world.

[I Buried My Guns]

"...The downside is you don't get laid a lot."

Well then, I missed my true calling, because I would have been a perfect fit.

anyway, I am sensing a pattern with NASA: first, they become a de facto muslim outreach service, and now they claim to find a life form that benefits from arsenic. Since it has been shown that society benefits from feeding muslims liberal doses of arsenic, I sense some kind of sinister plot.

Or an awesome solution. Whatever.

[no-to-illegals]

I too remember the glory days of NASA. I long for their return. There is so much NASA has done and did do for our nation during this time of glory. May those days come back, once more.

Thank you, because your Son has the Right Stuff.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And see link at #11.....

I think some reconstructive surgery is needed at NASA.

[wiggen]

Theres always been guesswork and extropolation. The dino example you used would have been extrapolated from depth of the print,the likely condition of the soil at the time,other better understood or shall i say better known dinos with greater historical records. Its not scientific method with repeatable results but its the best that can be done with the information available.

[SERKIT]

I was trying to figure out how this discovery helped NASA in their primary mission of promoting Islam. Maybe the Islamists want us to live on arsenic, and NASA is helping.

[SpaceBar]

Gone are the days of the nerdy black rimmed glasses, white short sleeve dress shirt, and regulation pocket protector.

[Elwood P. Doud]

Remember when NASA was there to explore space? Seems so long ago.

[SE Mom]

It’s really kind of heartbreaking, isn’t it? I mean they weren’t perfect- but they were seekers and doers and didn’t hesitate to tried the new, the untested. Most of the country has no idea how enormously our everyday lives have benefited from NASA.

Well- NASA before arsenic ;)

P.S. will pass your thanks to my Screaming Eagle

[MWF054]

Clue?! Peer review IS evaluation and discussion. It is an exercise in logical thinking. The science itself may not be done over the internet. That’s obvious. Of course the study should be replicated. But science is not about doing the same experiment and getting the same results. It’s about figuring out what those results mean - the search for truth. So yes, the experiments should be replicated, but the issues brought up in review also should be addressed.

Are you saying the posters are “not qualified” to review the science? On what basis?

IMHO the more peers reviewing the science the better. Whatever perspective they bring to the table. Internet discussions have been a great advance in the free exchange of ideas in science. Bouncing ideas off others is precisely how the strengths and weaknesses of the findings are determined in order to be tested more convincingly.

[ClearCase_guy]

Some scientists seem to think "I have a data point -- I better come up with a theory".

If the best that can be done with the information available is nothing better than guesswork, then I think it ought to be kept in the lab until such time as it is more mature. Science should be about known results which can be repeated and verified. Those results should be published. The results which are simply guesswork should be held back.

But it's all about the grants. Having a fancy theory based on almost no data is a fine thing to publish and make some noise. Afterall, if it's the best that can be done with the information available, then you can get A for effort.

But I consider it more Creative Writing than Science.

[GeronL]

more bad science from NASA... not shocked

[Uncle Ike]

” Gone are the days of the nerdy black rimmed glasses, white short sleeve dress shirt, and regulation pocket protector. “

If you ever watched the “Universe” series on the History Channel, you couldn’t help but be struck by how many drop-dead-gorgeous astrophysicists there are.....

;)

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

No need to apologize my friend. I could have been wrong. But somehow I didn’t think so because of all the lies by which we are surrounded every day.

My best wishes to you.