Thursday, December 16, 2010

NASA MISTAKES

Last week, the flare was reported that NASA had discovered the bacteria that is very different from other living creatures on the planet Earth. Bacteria that rely on arsenic, a substance lethal to living things in general.

However, over the weekend, as quoted by PopSci, December 9, 2010, a prominent microbiologist said that the results of NASA's newly published research is false.

False accusations against the results of research on NASA's first came from Rosie Redfield, a microbiologist from the University of British Columbia. He stated that the study was inaccurate and accused the authors report that the bacterium lovers of arsenic was a bad scientist or observer or extraterrestrial life are not careful.


Redfield scathing commentary provoked by the scientific community, Carl Zimmer, a science writer contacted several experts to find out whether the criticism Redfield is a valid criticism. Apparently, many experts stating that the results of NASA research is also not true.

Guardian newspaper and then collect reports from sources among international researchers. The result, critics believe that Felisa Wolfe-Simon, author of a published research report NASA has misinterpreted the wrong results. Presumably because the researchers failed to take preventive steps.

Critics say, Wolfe-Simon and his friends wrong and they have their own methods to prove it. Arsenic dissolved in water, so, if arsenic is in the DNA of microbes, arsenic should be broken down when researchers washed to remove other contaminants.

Ideally, such mistakes could have been anticipated and the assessors are obliged to question things before accepting the report to be published in the journal. According to the researchers, some simple tests can actually answer that question.

The controversy surrounding the mistake of writing the research report was later extended to the outside of the scientific discussion. It's also a lesson for not first preach to the public a very complicated and need to be investigated more deeply.

Responding to such criticism, NASA states that they will submit the relevant bacteria on any party that wants to do further research

[via vivanews]