New bacteria in California? Maybe....
A paper claims to have discovered a bacteria that survives on arsenic. I'm somewhat skeptical because, as open-minded as I can be about some things, I'm still a firm believer in the old maxim that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Still, it's intriguing to consider that we might have found something so different in a place as seemingly everyday and familiar as California. And it makes one wonder just how little we may understand about life elsewhere in the universe or even if we'd be able to recognize it if we found it.