Martian soil may contain life

[michaels]

http://drudgereport.com/flash.htm

Martian soil may contain life
Thu Aug 23 2007 11:30:10 ET

The soil on Mars may contain microbial life!

Joop Houtkooper of the University of Giessen, Germany, will declare on Friday the Viking spacecraft may have found signs of a weird life form based on hydrogen peroxide on the subfreezing, arid Martian surface.

His analysis of one of the experiments carried out by the Viking spacecraft suggests that 0.1 percent of the Martian soil could be of biological origin.

That is roughly comparable to biomass levels found in some Antarctic permafrost, home to a range of hardy bacteria and lichen.

Developing....

 

[zinfamous]

i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

 

[HN]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

don't they have to control the underworld first?

 

[clickynext]

Oh noes the martians are coming!

 

[dennilfloss]

We might have to expand our notion of life one day.

http://www.astrobio.net/news/m...thread&order=0&thold=0

 

[dainthomas]

I, for one, welcome our new Martian overlords.

 

[Canai]

Cool. I can't wait to hear more on this.

 

[jjones]

Time to declare war on Mars and stamp out this evil life form.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: jjones
Time to declare war on Mars and stamp out this evil life form.

There isn't any oil though.

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

Primitive life can, theoretically, survive space travel if it is encased asteroids or comets. Life can develop on a planet, then the planet can get hit by a big rock, ejecting life holding soil into space. Simple cells can stay in that soil for a long time.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: jjones
Time to declare war on Mars and stamp out this evil life form.

"What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

 

[invidia]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: jjones
Time to declare war on Mars and stamp out this evil life form.

"What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

With enemies, you know where they stand. With neutral people you don't know which side they are ..

A more detailed article can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/s...l.life.reut/index.html

 

[compuwiz1]

Of course there is life on mars! :laugh:

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I, for one, welcome our new Martian overlords.

hahaha, well quoted.

 

[manowar821]

Sweet!

 

[Modelworks]

I'm all for space exploration.
But for the millions of dollars being spent I could give them the same results for half the money, just look in my fridge

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Well it's a well known fact that Uranus has microbial life teeming on it and in it.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: HN

Originally posted by: zinfamous
i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

don't they have to control the underworld first?

/me groans

 

[So]

Based on data from Viking? Don't expect much new groundbreaking proof to come out of 30+ year old data.

 

[JRich]

Let's mine out all the turbinium before they start the reactor!

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: preslove

Originally posted by: zinfamous
i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

Primitive life can, theoretically, survive space travel if it is encased asteroids or comets. Life can develop on a planet, then the planet can get hit by a big rock, ejecting life holding soil into space. Simple cells can stay in that soil for a long time.

Oh dear...someone has gone and taken me too seriously again..

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: preslove

Originally posted by: zinfamous
i wonder if this lichen has mastered interstellar travel?

Primitive life can, theoretically, survive space travel if it is encased asteroids or comets. Life can develop on a planet, then the planet can get hit by a big rock, ejecting life holding soil into space. Simple cells can stay in that soil for a long time.

There's been a wrench thrown in the panspermia theory lately.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Wor.../07/1186252680988.html

 

[Syrch]

Originally posted by: Canai
Cool. I can't wait to hear more on this.