a bay area nasa researcher has made a discovery at mono lake at yosemite.man has the story. >> for as long as science has study life, one combination of elements is potently consistent. carbon, hydrogen, sulfur. the building blocks of life. you'll find it in every person, every bug, every plant. >> all life has a system. that's all we know. >> or all she said we knew until dr. wolf simons research paper went public. now add arsenic to the mix. she discovered a microthat replaces phosphorus with it to use arsenic to make dna, facts and proteins. it's one of a kind. >> a colony, individual colonies. >> of? >> of microbes that can live on extremely lie levels of arsenic. >> this is a subtle but major discovery, one that will alter science according to her colleagues. >> is she on to something? >> she is. very much so. >> if it's proved and really shown to be a distinct form of exchange of energy, then it's really another form of life. so we're looking at something as alien as if it had arrived here on a meteorite. >> in fact, dr. wolf simon found the microbes

. >> and also scientific discovery of mono lake. ♪ leftover desserts, boardroom, now.ry before the interns get here. thanks but i aeady have some yummy black forest cake. blacforest cake? ♪ so [ female announcer ] need a guilt free treat? try yoplailight. and i've lost weight. [ fele announcer ] with 30 delicious flavors li black forest cake all around 100 calories each. yoplait. it is so good. >>> good morning, what a beautiful shot from one of our cameras atop vollmer peak. you see mount diablo and low clouds, indicative of the rain. we do have some headed our way. lisa argen is her to talk about it. >> we are looking at a warmer system today, but a more organized system tomorrow. more rain is headed our way tomorrow. weak frontal band sits off shore here is the view from mount tam. temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s here. warmer in san francisco and we will be looking at the scattered showers thought date today. a live look at live doppler 7 hd and the green here, representing the rain and the lighter blue not reaching the ground. in the north bay from windsor

a bay area nasa researchers has made a stunning discovery at mono lake at yosemite.s, sulfur. it's the building blocks of life. you'll find it in every person every bug, every plant. >> all life has these six elements. that's all we know. >> or all she said we new until the research and paper went public. she has discovered a microbe that preplaces phosphorus that uses arsenic to make dna, fats and proteins. it's one of a kind. colonies individual colonies. >> of? >> of microbes that can live on extremely high levels of arsenic. >> this is a subtle but major discovery, one that will alter science according to her colleagues. >> is she on to something? >> she is. very much so. >> if it's proved and it's really shown to be a distinct form of exchange of energy then it's really another form of life. we're looking at something as alien as if it arrived here on a meteorite. >> in fact dr. wolf simon found the microbes without leaving the state of california. >> if you want to find something interesting on earth, mono lake is the place to come. >> if nature keeps secrets w

her laboratory for the discovery, famous mono lake. >> it's three times the salt of sea watch, ph of 10, basic like bleach and it's got very high levels of arsenic and it's teeming with life so this seemingly inhospitable environment teems with life like al jury, back deer yeah, brine shrimp, a major stop for migratory birds. >> reporter: they watched a bacterium all ther the very building blocks of life. >> arsenic would be substituting for phosphorus on the backbone of dna, you can see how critical it could be. >> reporter: it could have implications for growing crops without phosphorus fertilizer or growing energy or which planets to visit. >> and so here's an element arsenic that we thought was very toxic and boy, life can accommodate that. we need to know where this type of thing as we explore mars because it tells us which environments might host life even if it's a little different. >> reporter: he says they have cracked open the door to a universe of potential. >> in isn't about arsenic or mono lake. it's about thinking of life in a planetary context and asking questions. >>

not an alien but a bacteria with an alien-like biochemistry found in the salty waters of mono lake ins able to survive without one of the essential elements of life as we know it, phosphorous, replacing it in its dna with its toxic cousin, arsenic. >> we've cracked open the door for life elsewhere in the universe, and that's profound. >> reporter: it turned the quest for alien life on its head, redefining how organisms may have evolved here on earth and how they may exist somewhere else. >> you can replace phosphorous with arsenic and not kill yourself. it's quite striking. so when we look for life on other worlds, we could look in a different way. >> reporter: it's a discovery so radical, some scientists aren't quite sure whether to believe it. but there is the other side expecting more. all this hype over an earthly bacteria? whatever happened to finding water on the moon? alien hunters are a pretty tough crowd to please. super nerdy, not very awesome wrote one blogger. so this is fake now, equipped another? the point isn't that little green men weren't found, it's that little green

we are looking at a map of mono lake, california.ras outside of yosemite national park. if tuck roll that footage. mono lake is three times the salt of seawater. it's like bleach. it's got high levels of arsenic and it's teeming with life like bacteria and algae. and it's a major stopping points for migratory birds on their way through the united states. we went to look for an interesting microbe, we went to an unusual place. i'll tell you how we did this. if you wants to look for an organism that can substitute one element for another, you might want to think about where that particular element is abundant. mono lake is abundant in arsen arsenic. think about the periodic table. arsenic lies just below phosphorous on the periodic table. they have the physical size of arsenic and phosphorous are similar. it's the physical size of the atom. they are similar. this chemical similarities and other things i with be happy to discuss at lengths with folks. but that lends insight into something. arsenic is toxic because it looks like phosphor

discovering a microbe in mono lake that substitutes a building block of life with arsenic this, is never been seen before. the building blocks of life can be found in nearly every living thing on earth. >> there is a crack open the door for what is possible that. is profound to. understand how life is formed and where live is going. >> he works in menlo park and says a microbe could be a remnant from an earlier biology that policedded our own. >> california public utilities commission dealt a blow to people concerned about possible health risks of pg&e smart meters. and no public hearings could be held. several people testified explow sure to the currents makes them sick. and are concerned about the impact. that exists out there. the commission rejected claims siding with fcc report saying smart meters emit less energy than cell phones and dmot noes pose a health risk. >> there is such i believe in this case it's reasonable, prudent with our responsibility. and this opponents say they're not giving up. and hope they'll back up the claims. >> there is opponents calling on jerry brown to r

her laboratory for the discovery, famous mono lake. >> it's three times the salt of sea water, basic like bleach and it's got very high levels of arsenic and it's teeming with life so this seemingly inhospitable environment teems with life like bacteria, algae, brine shrimp and it's a major stop for migratory birds. >> reporter: they watched a bacterium all ther the very building blocks of life. >> arsenic would be substituting for phosphorus on the backbone of dna, you can see how critical it could be. >> reporter: it could have implications for growing crops without phosphorus fertilizer or growing energy or which planets to visit. >> and so here's an element arsenic that we thought was very toxic and boy, life can accommodate that. we need to know where this type of thing as we explore mars because it tells us which environments might host life even if it's a little different. >> reporter: he says they have cracked open the door to a universe of potential. >> it's not about arsenic and this isn't about mono lake. it's about thinking about life and a planetary context and asking qu

they found it in mud from mono lake on the east side of the sierra. it's called bacterium gsaj-1.kills old ideas about life forming elements. >> all life we know requires various elements. we have discovered in our organism that can substitute one element for another. >> scientists study mono lake because it's teeming with life even though it has high levels of arsenic. the new discovery means that they are going to be looking at other worlds differently in the search for life elsewhere in the universe. >>> google is promising a faster crackdown on copyright violators and that could bring some changes to youtube. google, which owns the popular video site, says it's going to be stepping up enforcement efforts to respond to any complaints within 24 hours. many have complained that google takes too long to remove illegally posted content. >>> the purpose of facebook is to bring peopling to but it's also splitting up a lot of people. a survey found that one in five divorces, 20% of divorces, involved the social networking website. attorneys say they have seen a huge spike in cases tha

they found it in mud from mono lake on the east side of the sierra. it's called bacterium gsaj-1 and kills all the old ideas about limits on life forming emments. >> all life that we know of requires carbon, lied general, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. we have discovered in our organisms that can substitute one element for another in these major biomolecules. >> scientists study mono lake because it's teeming with life even though it has high levels of arsenic. this means they'll be looking at other worlds differently in the search for life elsewhere in the universe. >>> this year's entertainer of the year award goes to... drum roll, please... taylor swift. ♪ [ music ] >> entertainment weekly selected the 20-year-old star after a year that included four grammy wins, a hit movie, and a number one debut of her latest album, speak now. that album sold more than a million copies in just the first week. >>> 6:26. it's a decades old program in california. the ritzy perks that lawmakers are getting right in the middle of a budget crisis. >>> plus,

they examined bacteria from the bottom of mono lake near yosemite national park.rules state that all life is made of six elements, including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur. but these microbes were able to grove and thrive using the poison arsenic instead of phosphorous. >> we've cracked open the door to what is possible for life else's we're in the universe. and that's profound, and to understand how life is formed and where life is going. this is basic bio molecules. >> the findings will up the search for extra-terrestrial life and open new avenues for disease research and add a new chapter to basic biology textbooks. >>> we have some breaking news now out of the east bay city of antioch that a child has been shot. antioch police on the scene of an apartment complex at 2405 lemon tree court near l street, north of highway 4. we have live pictures now from newschopper 2, where you can see it two patrol cars and a cul-de-sac. police confirmed that a two- year-old boy has been shot and that officers are questioning a number of people who

it was found in mono lake survives without fphosphorus. this replaces phosphorus with the chemical cousin, arsenic. it uses that toxic element to thrive. >> you can replace it with arsenic and not kill yourself. it's quite striking. when we look for life on other worlds, we could maybe look in a different way. >> the nasa-funded research say this breakthrough bacteria illustrates how little they know about life forms here on earth and possibly beyond. >> maybe we will be able to find it now. we have more information about what we might be looking for. >> not aliens per se. not even little green men. possibly microscopic green men that hide in far away worlds. worlds with a different make up than our mother earth. kirk gregory, nbc news. >> there you go. a poison eating being found in a lake. i have seen movies and i know what happens. >> over here in the other dark room. let's look out the roadways. we are over here on southbound 680 and another accident. sounds like a minor issue. it's after the junction. southbound as you head down towar

mono lake has very high levels of arsenic and teaming with life.ajor stopping point for my gaer to birds on their way through the united states. we went to look for an interesting microbe. let me tell you a little bit how we did this. if you want to look for an organism that can substitute one element for another you want to think where that is abundant. it's abun dan nt in mono lake. we think about the periodic table. arsenic life just below phosphorous on the periodic table they have the physical size that's very similar. physical size of the atom. actually, the fact that this chemical sim later and other things that i would be happy they discuss at length with folks, it lends insight into something that arsenic is toxic because it looks like photos ferous. so our cells can't tell the difference. that's very interesting to me as a biochemist. i went to look for this particular micobe. we took the mud from mono lake and wanted to see if anything would grow if we took that mud and gave it an laboratory environment that was rich in everything it nee

researchers said they discovered a microbe called gfaj-1 in the hypersaline mono lake in california.found that it thrives on arsenic instead of phosphorus. phosphorus is one of the six basic building blocks of all known forms of life on earth, along with oxygen and carbon. these elements had been considered indispensable for producing substances such as dna and proteins. nasa says the discovery suggests that some microbes can live without all six of the building blocks and that there could be life in space. the agency says it hopes to use the outcome to expand the scope of the search for life beyond earth. >>> the world meteorological organization says 2010 may be one of the three hottest years on record. that comes as u.n. experts urge the international community to come up with a new framework to curb global warming. those details were revealed by wmo secretary-general mike -- michel ger awed in cancun on thursday. the mexican city is currently hosting the conference on climate change, or cop 16. sherrod said the average temperature came to 14.55 degrees celsius. that's .13% higher

. >> not about arsenic or about mono lake, it's about thinking about life in a planetary context anding questions. >> that was don napp of kpix reporting. >>> in florida, a daring police rescue caught on tape. officer jimmy jaleel, jr., was among the first to arrive at the scene of an suv rollover on wednesday. a woman was trapped in the front passenger seat of the burning vehicle. he tried to bust open the window with a fire extinguisher but that failed. so, he ordered everyone back and fired two shots into the rear window breaking it and was able to carry the woman to safety. this morning on "the early show" an exclusive interview with that hero officer. i'm betty nguyen. this is the cbs morning news. cbs morning news. come on! wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the m

. >> if you want to look for something interesting on earth, mono lake is the place to come. >> if naturesecrets, why not here? this water is filled with salt and toxic levels of arsenic. only extreme creatures survive here, now, we know the extreme of them all. >> an alternate bio chemistry. >> take notion of life as we know it and turns it on its head. >> results could lead to philosophical debate. let's assume before life as we know it on earth, what was another form? something different that tried and failed. >> so let's say it's older, right? where there multiple options? no idea. >> in larger scope this, expanded definition changes our search elsewhere. possibilities boundless now. >> it suggests options elsewhere in the universe. >> says we should look for more than what we're looking for. and since first becoming aware of ourselves we've gazed above and wonder fd we're alone. and how ionic if after all of this time we might have on found a strong clue right here. >> we've been really interesting. wine wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> and in washington tonight say the president and ho

they found it at the bottom of the mono lake. they found microbes at the bottom of the lick lake. it's one of the building blocks of its dna. it's the only life form to do so. arsenic was found to poison every living thing because it's chemically so close. >>> a convicted sex offender has a bay area court date in just a few hours. what he is accused of doing to a little child and where . >>> former bart police officer johannes mehserle out of jail. >>> a union -- in union city this morning. a convicted sex of

for volunteer of the >> join me tonight at 9:00 coming up, nasa creates an internet frenzy over mono lake. >> then, a card room says videos like this one are giving it a bad reputation so the room is now suing to protect its image. coming up tonight at 9:00 and 11:00. >> see you then. and now a lng-time bay area volunteer celebrated her 100th birthday in san mateo today. irene hudson has done everything from filing and waiting poems she's a volunteer for samaritan house. >> this is two relatives in iowa. one is 102. one was 101. cousins and an aunt. >> and she continues to work in the office one day per week. and we wish her a happy birthday. >> that is our report. have a good night, everyone. save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get

it's a microbe from mono lake in california and trained to eat arsenic. here's why.il now, we thought there were six basic ingredients required for life on earth. carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur. but the microbe uses arsenic instead of phosphorus. the poison. it is a historic discovery and having a hard time getting pumped up about the big announcement, you are not alone but the science channel's guest can shed light on why this is such a big deal. why is this so important? >> this is a potential game changer. i mean, this is a home run for nasa. every single biology textbook in the world has to be rewritten. the very definition of life itself may have to be changed. and this is going to alter the way we look at the search for extra terrestrial intelligence in outer space and may have industrial applications on the earth. this is big. >> okay. that was one of my questions. you said it will change the definition of life as we know it. so, will we start to look at life in a different way? what we perceive as life forms? >> that's right. all dna on the earth

> it's an micro-organism found oot eastern sierra, once known of being starved of stream waters, mono lake is known for being rich in minerals. they discovered mike robes they thought was impossible. replacing phosphorous with an element that should have killed it, arsenic. confirmation came in lab tests. >> we found that not only did this microbe cope ordeal with t-but it grew and it thrived. that was amazing. nothing should have grown. put your plant in the dark. it doesn't grow. >> reporter: scientists say it has profound implications for finding life elsewhere in the universe. at former nasa scientist is a consultant for nbc news. >> it turns out even if earth life has these variouses discovered and nunsed today, than the range of possible life goes up immensely. >> a lot of our readers are commenting online, they're disappointing y disappointed you didn't pull e.t. out of a hat and have him dance on stage. >> reporter: science fiction has toyed with the notion it would be declared science facts, all of which will remain the domain of fantasy. to find a new world, scientists say you ne

nasa biologists claimed to have taken a bacteria from mono lake and replaced its dna with arsenic.critics are claiming the results are flawed. scientific observers say the only way to prove the claim is for other labs to duplicate the experiment. >>> scientists say they have discovered how we are able to tune somebody out. in studying how we hear ourselves talking, scientists found our brains act like the volume control on a remote. they say activity on the hearing part of the brain goes down as activity on the speech centers goes up. some people may not have this volume control making it impossible for them to distinguish their own internal voices from the voices of others. >>> new disturbing information tonight about the cash that's in your wallet. what the dollar bills could be doing to your health. and also, one party says no more niceties. what that means next. >>> and a big name hollywood screenwriter gets personal towards sarah palin. what was said about palin's recent hiking trip and what she fired back. >>> hollywood screenwriter aaron sorka is calling former alaska govern

will reportedly unveil the discovery of a microbe that has apparently been found at the bottom of mono lakeational park. it is rich in arsenic. an environment thought to be too poisonous for any life form to survive. somehow it uses it as a way of surviving raising the prospect that similar life could exist on other planets. we will see what nasa has to say tomorrow warm we were most interested in finding out online this year. drum roll, please. coming up the top searches for 010. and mom ] my son only wanted one toy this year. i want aobosan 4000. [ mom ] the one no one cld get. toy stores a reporting long lines and empty shelves. a robosan 4000. [ mom ] and i mean no one. so i did most of mholiday shopping on citi specials. with the money i saved, i bid line -and got exactly what wanted. -a robosan 4000! [ television ] introdung the new robosan 5000. [ mom ] at least for now. [ malennouncer ] make your happy holiday stories come te with citi specials. what's your story? citi can help you write it >>> a united nations team is headed to pompeii to look at ways of conserving the ancient ital

the unusual bacteria lives in mono lake and thrive on a poisonous substance. the bacteria shows can exist in different forms here on earth and therefore possibly on other planets throughout the universe. >>> the microbes survive without phosphorus, a building block of life. it replaces phosphorus with arsenic and uses that toxic element to survive. >> you can replace it with arsenic and not kill yourself. when we look for life on another worth, we can look in a different way. >> researchers say that the breakthrough shows how much scientists have to learn and it means that they can look for on planets that have different chemical make ups than what we have here on earth. >> this is a short week for the 49ers as they get ready to head to the green bay packers. they are trying to end a losing streak for the last time they won a regular season game. they will need the win if they want to keep up with coleaders and the seahawks and the rams. sunday's game is at 10:00 in the morning. the raiders will play on san diego. game time is 1:05. the sharks will play tomorr

announced discovery of a new life form and it was bay area scientists whose found it at the bottom of mono lakeresearchers found microbes in the mud that can use arsenic, usually considered toxic rather than phosphorous of the building blocks of its dna, the only life form known to do so. >> if there is an organism doing something different we cracked open the door to what is possible for life elsewhere in the universe. >> arsenic is thought to be poisoned every living being because its so close to phosphorous, >>> lebron james didn't let the heckling and boos bother him when he returned to cleveland last night. they booed him. fans tried to rattle lebron as he came back with a member of the miami heat. 11 8-90. lebron scored 38 points and sat out the whole fourth quarter. security by the way was so tight for the game the police enabled a command center outside the arena. super star aretha franklin is recovering from a mystery surgery but thanking fans for prayers. doctors for the 6-year-old super star insisted she canceled all public appearances for six months. yesterday morning she had surger

featured scientists at today's 2:00 news conference is simon, who spent the past two years researching mono lakecalifornia, that lake has one of the highest concentrations of arsenic on planet earth and the speculation is she may have discovered that microbes can actually exist in that very poisonous environment where all other life that we know of exists on phos or us. everyone has that as a basic building block of their member ab lism but it's something that can exist on arsenic and that leads -- leads many to think that life forms can exist on other planets that don't have such friendly atmosphere. martha: the basis for our life and all human life as we know it that they found something that has a different basis for life and that that might sort of document that something came from elsewhere, i suppose. >> right. it's speculation that it's alien life discovered right here on planet earth that nobody knew. martha: it's very interesting. i'm looking forward to hear what they found. you know, a lot of the speculation that you talked about on the internet has focused on one of the moons of satur