(Photo courtesy NASA Goddard Space Center)

The bacteria, which scientists scooped out of Mono Lake, Calif., was able to synthesize its DNA out of a form of arsenic instead of phosphorous, said NASA scientists.

“These data show that we are getting substitution across the board," said lead scientist Felisa Wolfe-Simon. "This microbe, if we are correct, has solved the challenge of being alive in a different way," 

Scientists cultured the bacteria, feeding it sugar, vitamins and minerals before bombarding it with arsenate, a from of arsenic.

“This introduces the possibility that there can be a substitution for one of the major elements of life,” said Everett Shock of Arizona State University. "Now we’ll have to see how far this can go.”

The bacteria was formally identified as strain GFAJ-1 of the Halomonadaceae family of Gammaproteobacteria. Mono Lake is known to have high levels of arsenic.

For more information on the bacteria click here.

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