A controversial 2010 study that suggested bacteria could grow using arsenic instead of phosphorus has been retracted by the research journal Science. When you purchase through links on our site, we ...

In a major editorial decision, the journal Science has officially retracted a famous and fiercely debated 2011 paper that proposed the existence of an “arsenic-based” life-form. The original study ...

In December 2010, a study led by a NASA astrobiology fellow claimed to have found an alien-like microbe in a salty, alkaline lake in California. This extraordinary bacterium could reportedly thrive ...

Science, a top research journal, said there was no evidence of misconduct by researchers whose finding attracted heavy attention and scrutiny in social media’s early days. By Sarah Scoles Sarah Scoles ...

A strange bacterium found in California’s Mono Lake cannot replace the phosphorus in its DNA with arsenic, according to researchers who have been trying to reproduce the results of a controversial ...

A body of water surrounded by craggy rocks. The “arsenic life” microbe came from Mono Lake, a highly alkaline, arsenic-rich body of water in California. Credit: Al Ungar/Shutterstock In the retraction ...