The journal Science said it is retracting its December 2010 research article, “A bacterium that can grow by using arsenic instead of phosphorus,” nearly 15 years after publication. The magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, cited a disconnect between the paper’s data and its conclusions as the basis for the decision. The study, funded by NASA’s Astrobiology Program, claimed the microbe GFAJ-1 could incorporate arsenic into its biomolecules, upending the long-held view that phosphorus is essential for life. The extraordinary finding drew immediate scrutiny and a series of follow-up studies that failed to replicate the central result. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate criticized the move. In a statement, Associate Administrator Nicola Fox called the journal’s new standard for retraction “unprecedented” and urged Science to reconsider, arguing that rescinding the paper could undermine confidence in the peer-review process and discourage publication of high-risk research. The authors of the 2010 paper also dispute the retraction, while some researchers are pressing the journal to revisit other controversial studies. The episode highlights ongoing tensions over how scientific publishers should handle disputed findings years after they enter the literature.